Inner Child Healing

I’m one of those people who suffers from a serious case of FOMO—fear of missing out.

It doesn’t take much to trigger it.

Curt and I will be out walking our dogs, and we’ll pass a house that’s clearly throwing a party. Music is playing, lights are glowing, laughter spilling out onto the street.

I find myself looking wistfully inside, imagining how much fun everyone must be having.

Now mind you, I have absolutely no idea who lives there or who’s inside—I just want to be in the mix.

I’ve been this way for as long as I can remember.

When I was a toddler—still sleeping in a crib—my mom would tuck me away for the night while the rest of the family stayed up watching TV in the den.

I could hear them laughing, talking, having a grand old time, and I wanted to be part of it.

I would cry and cry, calling and wailing for my older sister to come get me.

She felt bad for me and tried to plead my case, but bedtime was non-negotiable.

So she came up with a plan.

The next day, she taught me how to unlock the side of my crib, drop the rail, and climb out.

That first night, I felt triumphant. I walked proudly down the hallway and into the den, beaming as I joined everyone.

I’d made it! I was finally included.

Well, that lasted all of 30 seconds.

I was scooped up and promptly returned to bed.

They were parenting—doing what they were supposed to do.

But little me? I was devastated. I remember the sting of rejection, the disappointment, the sense of being left out. Everyone tells me I was too young to remember that night, but I swear I do.

That moment—like so many for all of us—left an imprint.

We all come into this world as open, curious, joyful beings.

But as we grow, we inevitably meet real-world experiences: disappointment, hurt, unmet needs.

It doesn’t mean our caregivers were intentionally unkind or negligent. Often, they were doing their best. But when we’re little, we’re incredibly impressionable and vulnerable.

We don’t yet have the emotional maturity or life experience to put things into perspective.

So we interpret what’s happening around us in deeply personal ways.

We start to make decisions about ourselves and the world:

It’s safer to be quiet.

I shouldn’t want so much.

My feelings are too big.

I’m not wanted.

I have to earn love.

And with those beliefs, we begin to dim our light.

That’s where inner child healing comes in.

The inner child carries all of it—the magic and wonder, the joy and curiosity, but also the pain and confusion.

Healing our inner child isn’t about blaming anyone. It’s not about pointing fingers at parents, siblings, teachers, or friends. It’s about meeting ourselves in those tender, formative moments and offering what we most needed but didn’t receive.

It’s about reparenting ourselves with compassion.

We get to go back to that little version of us, scoop them up, and say:

You’re not too much.

You’re not alone.

You belong here.

You are so very loved.

When we do that—when we connect with the parts of us that were hurt, silenced, or left out—we free them.

And in doing so, we reclaim the full spectrum of who we are.

If this speaks to you, I invite you to try my five minute guided meditation: Healing Your Inner Child. It’s a gentle, powerful practice that walks you through meeting your inner child with love, listening to what they need, and offering the words and presence they always longed for.

And if someone comes to mind who could benefit from this message or meditation, please feel free to forward this blog to them.

Sometimes, the healing we need begins with a single invitation.