By Brenda Cannon Henley
I have heard this expression all my life — “Oh, he’s just enjoying his second childhood.” I remember thinking earlier in my life, “What does this mean?” I wondered that as we age, do we really begin to get younger again or do we just lay down more of the pretense and adornment that comes with adulthood and maturity. Perhaps we realize that it is not so important what people think about us, but more important what we think of others and how we show our love and concern for those in our lives.

Children and young adults are certainly less inhibited than older folks. Babies squeal out their feelings in a demand to be fed or changed or given the attention they feel they deserve. If they don’t feel good, we know it. If they are happy, we sense it. These precious little ones haven’t learned yet to hide their true emotion and act like everything is fine whether it is or not. If they see a colorful toy they want, and another child is enjoying it at the moment, they have no qualms about taking it away if they feel they can. Babies can be easily provoked or made to squirm and scamper to the one they trust. Sounds a lot like some “second child hooders” I know and love.

Of course, I know there is a very serious side to this matter as well and I certainly do not want to be trite or uncaring. Almost every definition I read about “second childhood” gave a statement about the possibility of reduced mental capabilities being the culprit of this behavior. Wikipedia defines it as such: “Second childhood is an informal phrase used to describe adults whose declining mental capabilities mean they need care similar to that of children. It is an unscientific term, similar in meaning to the old terms “dotage” or “senility.” The current scientific term is “senile dementia.” I have spent many hours in nursing homes, hospitals, and care centers, and I am saddened when people begin to lose their mental abilities.

The Bible has much to say about the seasons of our lives and we find these verses seeming more definitive as we age. Perhaps the most recognizable is Ecclesiastes 3:1-8. Verse 1 says, “To every thing there is a season, and a time to every purpose under the heaven.” Verse 2 speaks of, “A time to be born and a time to die.” What really turned my attention to these thoughts was a verse in the Book of Joel, Chapter 2, Verse 28, where we read, “Old men shall dream dreams and young men shall see visions.” I wondered what the difference was in a dream and vision. I am told that a dream is, “A series of thoughts, images, and sensations occurring in a person’s mind during sleep.” Some add that most dreams are stimulated by something the person has seen, read, or thought in his subconscious before sleeping.

But, whoa, when we get to the definition and meaning of “visions,” it gets much more complicated. Bottom line, according to the writers at Patheos, is that in the Bible dreams are received while the person is sleeping and visions are received while the person is awake and they are in the Spiritual realm. Visions are also closely associated with Bible prophecy.

I have had some pretty wild dreams, but I do not know that I have ever personally experienced a vision, as defined here. I do know as I near my 74th birthday in December that just perhaps I am more childlike that I was earlier in my life. I could never imagine myself taking a nap in all of my adult life. I just wasn’t a day sleeper unless travel made it necessary. Now, by mid afternoon, I find myself thinking that I might just stretch out on my bed or sit in the recliner for a few minutes of rest, and wham; I am asleep and wake up refreshed and raring to go again. My children often told me they were not sleeping, but just resting their eyes. I am using that one now, too.

Food is another matter in which I am thinking younger. I no longer have to enjoy a full course meal, although I can. A bowl of soup, a quick sandwich, something simple, is just fine by me much of the time. There are several other symptoms that I planned to mention, but, oops, I seem to have forgotten them for now. That is happening often, too. I have also noticed that my friends my age forget a lot of things, argue more easily with each other, and hog the attention. They don’t seem to be as sharp either about possible danger, so maybe there is something about this second childhood thing. I will let you know in a few more years.
[10-10-2016]

Brenda Cannon Henley can be reached at (409) 781-8788, or
[email protected].