On how the elderly turned back into children, translated…
My twin sister and I are both in our twenties, working, but, we’d kept, playing with dolls, portraying the quilt monsters, and making an assortment of childish sounds, that’s never stopped. And, our parents had, gotten used to it already, and, my dad would only nag, “You’re already in your twenties, and still playing with your dolls, that’s, too childish!” and mom would sigh, “So pitiful!” after him, and, seeing their reactions, we’d felt, that it was, fun, to make them react like that, which drove us, to do it more often.
Although our parents called us childish, but slowly, it seemed, that my parents are, affected by our behaviors. Dad used to be this straight-faced, formal, disciplined man, and mom had that fierceness about her, that we both feared, and, as we’d misbehaved, she’d only needed to, look at us, and, we’d, admit to what we’d done.
As my sister and I found, that they’d, ignored our childish actions, it’d, motivated us more, to get a reaction from them, to make them laugh. And, after awhile, as we’d placed that teddy bear in front of dad, he’d, patted it on the head, then, placed the bear next to him. And, when my younger sister played with the elephant stuffed toy, mom would immediately, take it from her, and started calling out like a child, “This, is my elephant toy!”
Other than playing with dolls, my parents started making weird noises, and, became like parrots, copied us in speaking. Once, maybe, my dad was in a good mood, he’d hummed along in a weird tone, that song from childhood, I looked at my sister, and with that question in my eyes, inquired, how come he’s doing that? He’d started smiling, gloated, “This, is, returning to the mind of a child!”
not my photograph…
As my sister and I became confused, we’d added “the question mark” at the end of hour inquiries, and now, not only would mom copy us in this, she’d started behaving like my younger sister and I, it’d, made us both, very surprised.
There’s something classic that’s happened recently. That day, we were having water chestnut while we’d watched T.V. in the living room, there was a glass bottle in the cabinets in front of him, and a few days ago, I’d just, placed a stuffed Teddy on the top; as my father lowered his head, focused on shelling the water chestnut, he’d started, giggling, mom and I didn’t pay him much attention, but, a few minutes later, he’d started, giggling again. Mom asked him what he was laughing about? He’d replied in Taiwanese, “He (meaning the stuffed Teddy bear) kept looking at me, I feel embarrassed!”, as mom heard, she’d started, laughing aloud, and, she took a closer look at the stuffed toy, said, “It’s, looking at me too!”, I was already, laughing through my tears close by.
Since my parents’ childlike innocence had been rediscovered, they’d added more interesting moments in this home, brought us many moments of laughter too. I hope, that they will always have this childlike innocence about them, keep on laughing every day, healthy, and energetic for a long time!
not my photograph…
So, this, is on how older adults returned to the mindsets of children, because as we grow older, we would, lose our childish innocence that we once had, and, it had, returned back to these elderly people, as they aged…
Life, the Obstacle Course 