Self talk with the inner child
My book, “Finding Your Beebo” has a purpose- to help the readers find and preserve their connection to their inner child and to engage in a dialogue with it. The book was originally written for children. Elementary school teachers, Parents and children between the ages 5–13 contributed to creation of this book through their constructive feedback over the past nine months during which the content was under development. Through this process I discovered scientific rationale for helping both children and adults engage in a curios and open minded dialogue with their inner voice. Psychologists call it Self-Talk.
Self talk plays a critical part in a child’s development. Toddlers often talk to themselves or to their toys. This self talk helps with their cognitive development. It helps clarify their own understanding of their environment. According to Psychology today,
“Self talk combines conscious thoughts and unconscious beliefs and biases, provides a way for the brain to interpret and process daily experiences. Our self-talk can be cheerful and supportive or negative and self-defeating. Self-talk can be beneficial when it’s positive, calming fears and bolstering confidence. Human nature, unfortunately, is prone to negative self-talk, including sweeping assertions like “I can’t do anything right” or “I’m a complete failure.”
The idea behind this book is- when children feel upset, angry, confused or bored, they can tap into the reservoir of positive impressions in their subconscious mind. The character of Beebo- their inner children- will help create such a reservoir. My hope is that Beebo will serve as a metaphor for their inner voice and continue to cultivate in them the capacity to engage in positive self-talk.
So why is Beebo an inner child and not just an inner voice? My hypothesis is: The self talk we engage in as toddlers has unique qualities in creating long lasting memories and habits that emanate from the innate curiosity, openness, and creativity we have as children. As adults we loose these qualities as we begin to conform to the voices from outside and pay little attention to our inner voice. Preserving the inner voice of our childhood, I believe, will help us enhance our capacity to tinker with ideas and solve problems.
I learned through the feedback I received that this book is not just for children. Through this book, children can have an adult conversation with their parents and teachers and Adults can reclaim their childlike freshness. The book has several blank pages at the end where children can write down their thoughts, or questions they want to discuss with Beebo when they have a quiet moment. One of the children I sought feedback from reported that after reading the manuscript of this book, he started a dialogue with Beebo when he was getting bored.
As a designer I have a mission- to give design back to people. That means cultivating in everyday people the skills designers have to think constructively and solve problems creatively. A society of playful, joyous and creative individuals will hopefully create a better future than the conflicted, angry, defeatist and violence filled world we live in.
My hope is that encouraging self talk with Beebo will pave the way to positive living and lead to emergence of more creative communities. I hope to see “Finding Your Beebo” creating conversations between beebo and children, Children and Parents or teachers and even motivated jaded adults to embrace their inner child without inhibitions.
I would love to see “Finding Your Beebo” helping industry leaders, politicians, Scientists, Engineers get back in touch with their inner child.
The book is available on amazon
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