Escape Adulthood

Does Your Workplace Have an Awesome Room?

Jason — Sun, 23 Nov 2014 02:00:25 +0000

There is an Awesome Room in the offices of the Corporate Training & Economic Development department at Northeast Wisconsin Technical College. It’s more of a cubicle than a room, but still. It was the first time I ever thought happy things about a cubicle.

It was created as part of a renovation that took place last year. Dean Stewart, the dean of the department, wanted to get everyone involved in the process. And so the team was empowered to come up with names for some of the extra common areas and conference rooms around the office. And so Awesome Room was born.

I spoke at a Business Success Summit at the college last week, and evidence of fun and collaboration is everywhere. There is the Twins Board, a humble bulletin board that contains photos of people who inadvertently came to work to wearing something similar to a co-worker. And the lobby is adored with art that was created by the entire team, with assistance of the nearby Artisan Center. The bright, welcoming collages even contain tiny black and white photos of the eyes, noses, and mouths of the individuals who participated.

It was clear to me that Dean was a true Champion of Childhood. What was also clear was the sense of loyalty, community, and fun that was shared amongst the staff. We chatted a bit about how too many leaders assume that interjecting a little fun into the workplace is liable to threaten productivity and reduce standards. Dean was adamant that a sense of fun actually improves productivity, and he’s 100% right.

It reminds me of the old line, “The beatings will continue until morale improves.”

We don’t need to replace elevators with slides or install foosball tables into our offices to instill a sense of fun into the workplace. (Not that I’m opposed to such measures.) The reality is that even tiny things can go a long way. Oftentimes it starts at the top, with wise leaders like Dean who get that taking your work seriously and taking yourself seriously are two completely different things. But Adultitis also fears the things that bubble up from the bottom of an organization, too, because those things can be just as effective and powerfully viral.

A first step might be deciding where exactly your Awesome Room is located.

Do you have any fun nooks and crannies where you work?

A Champion of Childhood is someone instilled with the soaring spirit of childhood who rallies against rules that don’t exist while engaging in ruthless, senseless acts of silliness that undermine the slavery of Adultitis and its unadventurous version of adulthood. We like shining a light upon the most remarkable among us, holding them up as a dazzling example of what we should strive for in this epic battle against Adultitis. See more here.

Country Club Chef Serves Slice of Childhood with a Side of Awesomesauce

Jason — Sun, 05 Oct 2014 01:02:43 +0000

It can be easy to think of country clubs as the sort of places where Adultitis might like to hang out. Granted, it’s not a windowless cube farm, but it can invite a particular strain of Adultitis that implores us to take ourselves a little too seriously and make sure we don’t get our princess dress wet.

But Chef Brian at the Rockford Country Club is a Champion of Childhood who’s keeping Adultitis on its toes. In celebration of back to school season, Brian created a menu that put some epicurean twists on old childhood favorites, a “culinary homage to cafeteria classics.” Here are some of the things he came up with:

A beautiful, creamy, scratch-made grilled cheese & tomato soup with a grilled cheese crouton.
A salad with bacon, pistachios and cranberry Jell-O croutons. (Yup, you read that right: Jell-O croutons!)
Thai PB and J pork chop with jasmine rice and vegetable spring roll.
Lobster mac & cheese. (Eat it, Kraft.)
“Fish sticks” featuring Chilean sea bass, coated in a crunchy Goldfish cacker crust and cooked to perfection.
A gourmet take on the classic TV dinner featuring homemade meatloaf and garlic mashed potatoes, with peas and carrots, and a scratch-made brownie.

It sounds delicious to us! We need to convince Chef Brian to create the menu for our next Escape Adulthood Summit!

There are many places that might be more prone to Adultitis than others. But whether you work in a cafeteria, a country club, or the Chrysler Building, there is always room for delighting people with a little childhood fun. Kudos to this creative chef for serving up a delicious example!

What is your favorite example of a business that did a great job of incorporating the sprit of childhood into the mix?

Adultitis Officially Grounded at Denver Airport

Jason — Wed, 05 Feb 2014 20:48:30 +0000

I spend a lot of time in airports. Airports are like kids. They can be a CAUSE of Adultitis or they can be a CURE for Adultitis.

It all depends on your approach.

Sara Alvarado LOVES airports. She gets a kick out of watching all the people with Adultitis freak out over stuff that in the grand scheme of things, don’t really matter. On a recent visit to the Denver Airport, Sara and her son Leo bought some silly putty and did a little redecorating to some advertisements hanging on the wall.

It doesn’t take much to ground Adultitis. Lucky for us, we have people like Sara to show us how easy (and fun) it can be.

Office Staff Uses Tiny Spoons and Ugly Wrap to Upend Traditional Luncheon

Jason — Thu, 16 Jan 2014 17:10:19 +0000

An organization I spoke to last year traditionally celebrates the holidays with a luncheon and gift exchange. Pretty typical stuff.

The only problem is that Adultitis LOVES typical. Typical is only a hop, skip and a jump away from a rut, and as Ellen Glasgow says, “The only difference between a rut and a grave is their dimensions.”

Fortunately, after hearing one of my programs on Curing Adultitis, Janet Mincks and her team decided to go in a different direction with their holiday party.

It has been 4 months since you spoke to us at our All Staff Professional Development Day. What an impact you have made…We decided to throw away the traditional luncheon routine and make it not only interesting but fun. We exchanged names, however the gift was a small $10.00 gift, but needed to be “Ugly Wrapped”. The presentation of the gifts ranged from a collection of scrap wrapping paper, bubble wrap, and my favorite, a coffee container with small deer antlers on the top as a bow with dryer sheets tied to it. Our lunch included soup and salad, but everyone was only given tiny small delicatessen spoons, and skewers for their salads. The group couldn’t believe that we carried this “Adultitis” (theme) that far.

Nicely done, Janet! (I must say that I too have quite an admiration of that antler-adorned coffee container!) Thanks for showing us that there is no rule that says your holiday party has to look the same every year.

Unless you want it to be a guest of honor, that is.

One Minion’s Inspiring Message of Ridiculousness and Redemption

a Guest Star — Tue, 03 Dec 2013 14:30:27 +0000

[ This is a guest post from a woman from Wisconsin. We’ve left out her name to respect her privacy, but she graciously gave us permission to post this because we think it’s very awesome and downright inspiring She’s a true Champion of Childhood. ]

I haven’t worn a Halloween costume in years, but decided to change that for 2013. After 10 years of a tumultuous relationship (8 years of which we were married), I filed for divorce in May and have been riding the “rollercoaster of emotions” since, working through all the heartache and also adjusting to “sharing” our 4-year old daughter.

Thanks to my wonderful support system of family and friends – as well as private counseling – I realized that due to all the stress I had to handle in the relationship all those years (as well as my husband’s consistently bitter and negative attitude on life and society), I had lost a great deal of the optimistic and jovial spirit that so many of them treasured as my best personality feature.

So, as Kim and Jason say, this Halloween was my “permission granted” chance to reclaim my spirit of silliness and childlike innocence. I assembled costumes for both me and my daughter, and what better way to be silly than to be a “Despicable Me” minion!

I wore the ensemble to my work on Halloween — I was the only one in costume in my entire office of about 50 professionals — and gave many people good laughs when they saw me, which felt awesome. I publicly shared my silliness with my daughter as we walked the neighborhood trick-or-treating on Halloween night, and I also helped out some of my colleagues with a “Trunk-or-Treat” event in our community earlier during the week of Halloween. While in my “minion” costume, I talked “minion” for over 3 HOURS while kids of all ages walked past me in line and gave me high-fives. The best part was -– in true mischievous “minion” fashion -– I would sometimes tease the child going to high-five me and pull my hand away fast and then laugh the “minion” laugh. It brought smiles to many, and then I’d make sure to give them a successful high-five before they moved on.

So for this gal, I would say this Halloween ended up with a score of Me: 1, Adultitis: 0. And I guarantee I’ll be thinking of a new and silly costume for next year. Family and friends are all thrilled to see me reclaiming my life and returning to my “silly prior self.” And it’s a wonderful feeling for me, too, as I believe I can be an even better, happier mom for my daughter. And that, to me, is the most important take-away from this experience. I vow to never allow anyone or any circumstance take away my spirit again.

School Celebrates Family with Ugly Cookies & Barbarian Spaghetti

Jason — Wed, 27 Nov 2013 16:37:05 +0000

A few years ago, I spoke at a school in Wisconsin, giving presentations for the staff and the parents. I shared the Ugly Cookie story, just like I (almost) always do. Lots of people have heard that story over the years.

But Pete Hirt, the principal of the school, took it and ran with it.

Not long after my talk, a parent of one of the students was diagnosed with cancer. Pete and the community sprang into action to help raise money for the family. Pete suggested they do an “Ugly Cake Auction,” in which people would be invited to decorate cakes in the ugliest manner possible. About 1,000 people descended upon the gym to bid on dozens of deliciously ugly cakes.

They raised $15,000.

Last night, I was invited back to be a part of an evening designed to Celebrate Family. I would again be speaking to the staff and parents, but also added to the agenda was a Barbarian Spaghetti dinner and an Ugly Cookie decorating contest. The goal was to give parents tips and ideas for stressing less and having more fun, while providing an opportunity for families to make memories together.

As you’ll see in the photos below…mission accomplished.

Tables in the cafeteria were covered with plastic, and aluminum trays of spaghetti and meatballs were placed at each table. Plates and silverware were provided for the more cautious eaters, but Pete exuberantly encouraged everyone to “go barbarian!” I’d say a little over half went for it, eating their spaghetti directly off the table. A number even went without cutlery.

It was a blast!

After dinner, I did an hour presentation in the library for the parents, while Pete and the kids cleaned up and had some fun in the gym. Then it was time for ugly cookie decorating. Plain homemade sugar cookies were provided, along with white frosting which served as a blank canvas for the smorgasbord of food coloring, sprinkles and candy that was on hand.

Believe me when I say that ugliness was unleashed that night, my friends. And Adultitis was NOT happy about any of it.

Pete Hirt is one of the best principals I’ve ever met. He’s a down-to-earth guy who has a great sense of humor, and although he takes his job seriously, he doesn’t take himself too seriously. He is one of the most caring people I’ve come across. He really wants to make the lives of the students and their families better. And he’s willing to try anything to do it.

Clearly.

Pete (pictured above) is a Champion of Childhood because he’s willing to face Adultitis head-on. I’m sure there were more than a few people who thought he was out of his mind to bring an idea like this to the table. But the world is aching for silliness, and it desperately needs leaders who are brave enough to stand up and serve as permission granters.

Pete is one of those leaders. Can we count on you to be one, too?

The Kid Who Really Wanted Glasses He Didn’t Need (and the Mom Who Let Him Get Them)

Jason — Tue, 26 Nov 2013 13:39:30 +0000

People with Adultitis are often embarrassed by people without it. It makes them uncomfortable. They worry about what the behavior of the “Adultitis-free” people will say about them.

Of course, there is one demographic of people that typically suffers from very little Adultitis. We call them children.

If we let them, kids can help us treat the Adultitis within us.

But if we’re not careful, we can also inflict our Adultitis upon them.

It’s easy for parents (and teachers) to use their authority to shut down the behavior our children engage in; behavior that is completely innocent, other than calling out the Adultitis within us.

When we curb the behavior of children solely because we are embarrassed by what the kids are wearing, playing with, or are interested in, we are succumbing to Adultitis big-time.

We don’t have to, of course.

We wanted to celebrate one mom who refused to allow Adultitis to dictate her parenting. Here’s Connie’s story, in her own words:

While out shopping one day with my six year old son, he spotted a pair of black-rimmed glasses with clear lenses that he just adored. Caden put them on and looked up at me and asked “Can I get these?” I giggled at the sight of him and immediately responded with “No, silly!” The disappointment in his eyes was telling, and he took them off and held them in his small hand throughout the store. He asked me a few more times as we shopped, and each time I told him no.

As we approached the register, you could see in his eyes that this was do-or-die time. He proceded to ask me once more, “Mom, can I please please please get these? I really love them!”

I looked at the price tag, $4. I asked him “Are you honestly going to wear these?” He assured me he would. I caved and put them on the counter with the other items, much to his delight. I don’t remember what else I bought that summer day, but I will always remember buying those darn glasses!

Fast forward a year, and he is still wearing them, a lot! Just the other day we were walking into our local Walmart, and I noticed he was wearing those stinkin’ glasses again. My initial thought was that we better run back to the car and leave them there — he can’t possibly wear those into the store!

Then it dawned on me, why not? Why can’t he wear them into the store? He can!

I looked over at him and chuckled, just like I did the first time I saw him wearing them. I thought in that moment that maybe he will make other people smile and brighten their day, too. All of a sudden, I felt proud of my son and his big black spectacles and I told him, “Be who you are and say what you feel, because those who mind don’t matter, and those who matter don’t mind.” I could tell that he was having a hard time processing this quote, so I explained it to him in simpler terms which he did understand.

I am hoping that I passed on a small lesson to him that day, one that sticks with him for years to come. I know that I learned something very valuable that day, and it will stay with me forever. Allowing your child the freedom to express themselves and to love them for who they are is the greatest gift of all.

Connie is a Champion of Childhood. It’s important to note that she wasn’t immediately on board with her son’s unusual fashion choice. But she had the presence of mind to realize that it wasn’t going to hurt anyone, and she made the important decision not to let it affect her own pride.

Children are pint-sized walking cures for our own Adultitis.

But the medicine only works if we are brave enough to let it.

Iowa Mom Grabs Life by the Reins

Jason — Wed, 20 Nov 2013 13:51:21 +0000

Besty McCleary is a good mom. She stopped by the Earl May so her kids could ride a horse around the parking lot.

Then she figured she’d “kick Adultitis to the curb” and asked to join in. She may have been the only adult who did all day.

Which also makes her a Champion of Childhood.

When you’re with a kid, you pretty much have carte blanche to let your inhibitions go and join them in their carefree adventures. They are pint-sized permission granters. It’s a pity that parents (and grandparents and aunts and uncles) don’t grab that opportunity by the reins every single chance they get.

Betsy, for one, is proud she did. We are too!

Forced To Eat Cake

Jason — Wed, 13 Nov 2013 13:13:53 +0000

One day this past summer, Marcia Brown took her mom, aunt and great aunt out to lunch to celebrate her aunt’s birthday. As they all sat down to eat, she announced, “Today, we are eating dessert first!”

The dinner guests were hesitant. But, after a bit of “encouragement,” everyone ended up complying (and having a ball).

Marcia’s great aunt called the next day and told her she had more fun that day than she’d had in a very, very long time…and was still smiling.

This stressed-out, burned-out world is in which we live is aching for silliness. Most of them time, people are just waiting for someone to give them permission to have fun.

Sometimes they are waiting for someone to force them to eat desert first.

Dad Starts Dance Party at Pharmacy

Jason — Wed, 06 Nov 2013 14:00:50 +0000

I have never been a pharmacist. I don’t even play one on TV. But I can’t imagine a pharmacy inherently being a work environment filled with laughs and good times.

But that doesn’t mean it couldn’t use it.

Here is an email we got from Dan Drella, who initiated a small rebellion with his kids.

“I was in Walgreens with sons Brody (6) and Xavier (7). We were walking from photo to the back of the store. Xavier said, “What are we doing now?” My answer was, “Dance party!” Boom, right there in the aisle. All three of us dancing. Brody was all over it. Xavier said, “No, really, what are we doing now?” My reply: “Dance party!” More dancing ensued. “No seriously dad, what are we doing now?” Again…”Dance party!!!” Brody was just laughing. Five times from photo to the pharmacy. When we got to the pharmacy, the pharmacist and assistant were just laughing. They must have been watching the cameras or something. It was a pretty awesome moment of escaping adulthood. Gosh, I need more of those!”

The whole world does, Dan. Which is why we dub you a Champion of Childhood: for having the courage to create one for yourself, your kids, and — even if unintentionally — for the people working in a pharmacy.

Dance on.

Costumes for a Good Cause

Jason — Wed, 30 Oct 2013 13:00:03 +0000

We’re in the throes of Halloween Unleashed, our 7th officially-sanctioned Small Rebellion. Your challenge is to wear a costume somewhere unexpected, just for fun.

But it can also be for a good cause, too.

Elaine Hand loves dressing up in costume. She was in a full-fledged witch costume at a recent speaking program I had in Illinois! (Maybe it’s in her blood; her mother was born on Halloween :) The thing that makes her a Champion of Childhood in our book is that she wears costumes all year long! Here’s how it started, in Elaine’s own words:

“This all started with being a witch — going to my clients during the week of Halloween and giving them wisdom from the wizard (motivational Halloween sayings) and candy from the witch. It has just grown from there.”

And grown it has! A client of hers asked her to consider coming to a local school in costume to serve as a mystery reader:

“I do it maybe once every six weeks or so – depends on when asked. I usually go to three or four classes per visit – normally kindergarten thru second, maybe third grade. When possible, I act the book out if conducive. I also have a snowman, reindeer, Easter bunny and chipmunk. It just makes me smile, as well as others.”

Elaine is not a professional mascot or part of a theater troupe or working a part-time job at Subway standing on a street corner in costume waving at cars. She’s a regular person with a successful career who is not afraid to wear a costume outside the confines of Halloween. She knows how awesome it can be.

We hope you’ll be inspired by her lead and take part in our latest Small Rebellion.

But be warned: If you do, you’ll probably get Adultitis so angry it’ll make the Grinch look like Santa Claus.

The Pediatrician with Dozens of Fake IDs

Jason — Wed, 23 Oct 2013 14:15:21 +0000

Ellen Leonard is an amazing pediatrician from Connecticut. She is also a Champion of Childhood.

It would seem that of all of the world’s professions, “pediatrician” would be near the top of the list when it comes to those that are most conducive to wearing Halloween costumes at work. Ellen does every year. While she’s not the only person who does, it strikes me that at the hospital she’s worked for over 26 years, she is in the minority.

Even more notable is the effort she puts into her costumes. She’s pictured above dressed as the Man with the Yellow Hat from Curious George. The pants, shirt, and hat were purchased at Savers, an resale shop that supports Big Brothers & Big Sisters. “It amazed me that somebody actually wore those yellow pants,” she said, “But I suppose there’s no accounting for taste.”

Although she often likes to make her costumes (“I think it’s a good lesson for parents that they don’t have to go out and spend a lot of money to have fun,” she says.) she has also gone as a pink gorilla, a banana, a chicken, and a cow (complete with udders.) My favorite part is that she gets custom name badges made up showing her in costume, which actually come in handy from time to time:

I save the ID badges with my picture in costume on a bulletin board at my house. One very dry March, I had a fire at the house while I was at work. The police had my name, but they didn’t know how to contact me. They tracked me down because of the ID badge with my picture in costume. They called the hospital and told me to come home. So having those fake hospital ID’s saved my house!

It seems like a crime to not wear a Halloween costume to work when you have the chance. Ellen surmised that she thinks most people are probably afraid of being perceived as unprofessional. She’s probably right.

I’m of the belief that people like doing business with people they like. And people like people who are having fun.

Contrary to popular belief, having fun at your job and being really, really good at it are not mutually exclusive.

In fact, Ellen confirms my belief that the two usually go hand in hand.

The World Would Be Better if We Had More Giant Rubber Duckies Floating Around

Jason — Tue, 14 May 2013 16:00:21 +0000

I’ll just state the obvious, because we’ve all thought it: We need more giant rubber duckies floating around in our lakes, rivers, and harbors. We also need more artists to think of ideas like this.

The giant yellow ambassador of fun pictured above is the work of conceptual artist Florentijin Hofman, who states:

The Rubber Duck knows no frontiers, it doesn’t discriminate people and doesn’t have a political connotation. The friendly, floating Rubber Duck has healing properties: it can relieve mondial tensions as well as define them. The rubber duck is soft, friendly and suitable for all ages!

The duck in question is about 46 feet tall and 55 feet long and is currently hanging out in Victoria Harbour in Hong Kong. Hoffman is well-known for larger-than-life works of whimsy. Here are a few of my favorites:

Signpost 5. Three (really) grand pianos washed upon the shore.

The Big Yellow Rabbit.

Fat Monkey – look close; it’s made with flip flops!

The Steelman.

Thank you Florentijin, for helping fight Adultitis with your wonderful work! You, my friend, are a Champion of Childhood!

Serving Fun as the Main Course with a Side of Crazy

Jason — Fri, 10 May 2013 13:00:39 +0000

Spatula City is a meal in which everyone eats dinner with unconventional utensils. Think spatulas, spaghetti forks and soup ladels.

Barbarian Spaghetti is when you eat spaghetti without plates.

Crazy might be when you combine them both.

We tried it for Ben’s first birthday and it was a smash hit. Recently, Missy Herman of North Dakota took the plunge for her son’s first birthday as well. (See photos above). My favorite part of the video she sent me on Facebook occurred right after the the pile of spaghetti and meatballs had been dumped on the table. One of the kids gleefully exclaimed to the people just entering the room, “Dad did that on purpose!”

One thing’s for sure: spaghetti may have been on the menu, but fun was the main course.

It reminds me of Corinne Hanson, who also pulled off the Barbaria Spaghetti / Spatula City double doozy with her family on on Christmas Eve.

I share this idea often in my speaking programs, and lots of people laugh at the idea of it. But it takes a special person to have the courage to try it out on unsuspecting friends and family.

We call them Champions. Congrats, Missy and Corinne!

Woman Sees City Streets as Giant Take a Penny, Leave a Penny Repository

Jason — Wed, 08 May 2013 12:00:11 +0000

Mary Nuckolls is a Champion of Childhood because she gives away money.

But not the way you think.

She’s not some rich heiress who has so much money she doesn’t know what to do with it. She’s not a professional philanthropist. She works at a preschool.

But sometimes, she finds money on the street, like we all do from time to time. She once heard that when you find a penny, someone in heaven is thinking about you. Mary often finds pennies in threes: one for her mom, dad, and brother. Even if it’s only three cents, such occurrences lift her spirit. So she has taken up the habit of dropping money after she comes out of stores. In her own words:

It’s not much, usually a penny or a nickel. I think that maybe in some small way, I am brightening someone else’s day. Sometimes I leave a couple of quarters at the car wash when I am done. Makes someone’s day. I also buy McDonald’s tickets for ice cream and leave them where a kid will find them. Kinda silly, but then, isn’t that what it’s all about?

Yes, Mary, that is what it’s all about: doing things — sometimes big, but mostly small things — that brighten the world around us.

In a world rocked by war, terror and heartbreaking acts of senseless violence, it’s these small rebellions that give us the humor, hope and healing that we so desperately need.

Thank you for your example Mary, and thank you for being a true Champion of Childhood!

Photo Credit: JD Hancock

Sendoff of Co-Worker Gets Ugly

Jason — Fri, 29 Mar 2013 14:30:11 +0000

Kathleen Molland, Jeanette Raab, and Susan Withey were at a speaking program I did in Williston, North Dakota. I told the Ugly Cookie story. Then these three took it to a whole new level. Here’s what happened, in the words of Kathleen:

A few years back, Melissa, the guest of honor, was in charge of ordering a cake for our foster family Christmas party. When Melissa picked up the cake, it was not what she expected…..there was a big old turkey on it and a few other holiday trinkets, written in very small letters was “Happy Holidays.” It was the cake decorator’s first day or two on the job and she was so proud of her creation. Needless to say, Melissa took a lot of good natured guff for the cake.

When it was time to plan Melissa’s goodbye party (she was leaving the agency and venturing into a new position), the three of us that had attended Escape Adulthood were very quick to volunteer to take care of the cake. We had so much fun planning it, and we giggled as we threw it together. Just about all of the holidays we could think of were represented on the cake.

Melissa lives on a farm so we stuck a bunch of animals on the cake. We even put a mutant bug on the cake (too many farm chemicals!).

The cake tasted better than it looked—-we had strawberry, lemon, chocolate, fun fetti, and angel food.

Melissa loved the cake! And now she is providing counseling services at Northwest Human Service Center. We are not sure if everyone appreciated the humor……but we sure had fun doing it!

We could not be any more in love with this multi-holiday cake of art. Which is why we are designating each member of this threesome as official Champions of Childhood. Their example shows us that goodbye cakes needn’t be formal, somber, or even one flavor!

Way to go, Kathleen, Jeanette, and Susan — you are true Champions of Childhood!

Daughter Teaches Dad Proper Way to Eat Banana

Jason — Thu, 28 Mar 2013 15:51:20 +0000

A few years ago, a TV reporter referred to me as “The Champion of Childhood.” Although I never received a jewel-encrusted crown or an oversized gold-plated belt, it’s a title I wear proudly. Admittedly, I don’t actually consider myself “THE” Champion, but rather “A” Champion of Childhood. There are scores of people infinitely more qualified than me in this arena, but I quite fancy the idea of acting as “a militant supporter and defender” of the ideals of childhood.

Ultimately, I like being a verb more than a noun.

Kim and I love using the platform we have to highlight the brilliant people who inspire us. The everyday folks who should also be considered Champions of Childhood. Recently, we decided to make this designation official. (In the same way a secret handshake required to gain entry into a treehouse is official.)

So I created a logo, and we made buttons and stickers and magnets and certification cards to bestow upon people we deem Champions of Childhood. (Because there is nothing more fun than making up an award and giving out prizes.)

Officially, a Champion of Childhood is someone instilled with the soaring spirit of childhood who rallies against rules that don’t exist while engaging in ruthless, senseless acts of silliness that undermine the slavery of Adultitis and its unadventurous version of adulthood.

In short, they are Rock Stars of Childlike Awesomeness.

Now, it’s likely that the majority of people who regularly visit this site are such champions. But from this day forth, we shall be shining a light upon the most remarkable among us, holding them up as a dazzling example of what we should strive for in this epic battle against Adultitis.

Our first designee (quite possibly the first and last time the word “designee” will be used on this blog) is Matt Haas from the great state of Maine. He recently sent me an email with the subject line: “Adultitis Almost Won.” Here is the bulk of his message:

Last night after dinner, I decided to have a banana for dessert. As expected, my 4-year-old daughter sitting next to me got a sudden urge to also consume said banana. Being the good parent, I granted her non-verbal request (I.E. gaping open mouth) and held the banana towards her.

As she hovered — about to take the first bite of no doubt many — I realized she was not approaching the fruit properly! Instead of biting the top off, she was heading towards the side of the banana! I was shocked and in that instance I almost pulled it away from her, but then the child in me overcame my Adultitist reaction and I let her proceed. And yes it was true: she took one, then another, and a third bite — eating the banana sideways!

It was the most outrageous, original and hilarious thing I had seen all day. Her beaver-like attack did result in the banana being severed in two, one half falling into my hand, as the two of us laughed hysterically and ending our day the way everyday should end — with a smile.

While some may wonder what was so remarkable about Matt’s actions, allow me to remind the unimpressed of something important: Acknowledging Adultitis’ stealth moves and consciously sidestepping them like Bruce Lee deftly avoiding an invisible ninja is MUCH harder than it looks. Most of the time we blindly slide into the default responses of our parents, teachers or societal expectations (That’s not how you eat a banana!) while missing out on a chance to live a better story.

In our fight against Adultitis, we must first acknowledge its presence and then make the (often uncomfortable) choice of taking action against it.

Way to go, Matt — you are a true Champion of Childhood! (Bonus points for coining the term “Adultitist!”)