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It is way more fun (and freeing) being a child, instead of a consequence-conscious, anxious adult.

Meanwhile, all most children ever want is to be an adult already and make their own decisions regarding things like movies, junk food, and late-night hours.

But what if the beautiful, magical space between childhood and adulthood is possible?

And no, I don’t mean teenagehood – that stage of life is godawful.

In what seems to be a possible new parenting trend following on from Jennifer Garner’s Netflix comedy Yes Day, parents are opening up all the possibilities of their kids’ imaginations for just one day.

The Guardian‘s Donna Ferguson reported back, giving her nine-year-old daughter Flora just on “in-charge day” a year:

A day when all the traditional hierarchies between parent and child are reversed, when she can fulfil her fantasies, refuse to do anything she doesn’t want to and experience a taste of power, authority and absolute freedom.

Here’s how the “wild rumpus” works according to Ferguson:

Do

•  Give your child time to plan the day.
• Set ground rules: nothing illegal or unsafe or too expensive.
• Put one child in charge at a time. Send siblings off to a relative or friend to avoid arguments.

Don’t

• Make suggestions. This is their day.
• Think about the mess.
• Say no.

Recalling a song from Matilda, Ferguson realised how sad it is that childhood wishes are “destined to fade away, unfulfilled”.

Ferguson also reminisced about another of Roald Dahl’s stories, Danny the Champion of the World:

“A message to Children Who Have Read This Book: When you grow-up and have children of your own, do please remember something important. A stodgy parent is no fun at all. What a child wants and deserves is a parent who is SPARKY.”

A little voice in Ferguson’s head made her realise that she was not “sparky” enough, and so, all things considered, she launched into this “in-charge day” with gusto.

After one day spent eating McDonald’s, wearing voluminous dresses and going out to the cinema where Flora chose to have popcorn and ice cream and sweets, Ferguson realised that it was not all the difficult but rather “delightful” to let her daughter run things for 24 hours.

There’s the promise that if you allow the same, your life will get “a whole lot more sparky”.

[source:guardian]