Escape Adulthood

Small Rebellions

Adultitis can't be taken down by government legislation, well-financed corporations, or an army of powerful tanks. Its only weakness is ordinary people instilled with the soaring spirit of childhood who rally against the rules that don’t exist and engages in ruthless, senseless acts of silliness. We call these actions small rebellions. They may be small but they are also mighty. They undermine the slavery of Adultitis and its unadventurous version of adulthood, and they have the power to change the world.

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

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 …

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Iowa Mom Grabs Life by the Reins

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 …

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Dad Starts Dance Party at Pharmacy

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 …

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Small Rebellion #7: Halloween Unleashed

Halloween is exciting for kids and adults, too; Dressing in costume: a thing we all love to do. But why settle for parties or just Trick or Treat? What if you wore one when you went out to eat? Perhaps shopping for groceries or driving car pool; Or serving on jury duty would even be cool. Or maybe while getting your vision corrected; Just wear your costume somewhere unexpected. Adultitis won't like it and people might stare; The rebellion is knowing that you just don't care. Halloween is the best. I love that it's free of the obligatory gift-buying and mountains of stress …

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Gym Teacher Wears Same Outfit in 40 Straight Yearbook Portraits

In the war against Adultitis, some days you win battles and other days you lose them. Oftentimes, there are crucial moments in which you actually have the choice to snatch victory from the jaws of defeat. Those crucial moments are often born out of embarrassing moments. In 1973, Dale Irby posed for his first yearbook photo after getting a job as a gym teacher at Prestonwood Elementary school. The next year, Dale inadvertently wore the exact same outfit. Doh! What could have turned into an Adultitis-ridden shame spiral transformed into a small rebellion when Dale's wife dared him to …

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What My Daughter Taught Me About Being Weird

The other day my four-year-old daughter Lucy was skimming down the sidewalk with her kick scooter. Normal. She was gripping the handlebar with one hand and holding an open umbrella with the other. While wearing a bike helmet and snow boots. On a sunny, seventy-three degree day. Weird. It's so weird that I'd bet anything that of the six billion plus people in the world, not one other person was doing and wearing the exact same thing. That's as weird as it gets. It was also a great big life lesson. …

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Do You See Weeds or Wishes?

A backyard flush with dandelions can inspire an hour of exciting adventure for a five-year-old. The exact same backyard can also inspire an hour of expletive-laden adjectives for a fifty-year-old. Believe it or not, most of the things we don't like about life are changeable. The tricky part is that in order to get the result we desire, the first thing that needs to change is...us. If you're disappointed or frustrated by your spouse, your job, your boss, or your kids, you always have the option of waiting for them to improve. Or you can instigate a small rebellion and spark a magical …

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Ugly Cake Initiative: The Results

The purpose of this post is to feature some of the repulsive results from the recent Ugly Cake Initiative (We shared our family's experience here). We heartily congratulate all the people who took up the challenge to fight Adultitis by whipping up something ugly in the kitchen. And we offer our sincere condolences to any brave souls who ingested any of the creations. (Although to be fair, most were reported to be very delicious.) Take that, Martha Stewart! Without further ado, check out the gruesome goodness! …

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