An inner child is the representation of someone's youthful self. It is like an id but it likes candy, or something. Basically, we're supposed to express it since it's good for us but we can only do it in an adult-like way. Kind of defeats the purpose, really...

It's all relative. My inner child is somber and quiet, watches Mystery on PBS, and sleeps a little better. Some think that expressing your inner child means freedom to act like a jackass; others know that it means to act without so much fear of societal disapproval, yet so simple, like climbing a tree.

An inner child...a true inner child...sees innocence in everything.

Our haunting overtones of bondage that follow us forever in adulthood, of death and taxes and finding the right picket fence laden dream life are not the burdens of childhood.

My inner child sees vistas of flowers and dark woods as I'm stuck in traffic, and says "wow".

My inner child sees the wreckage of condemned buildings and says "playground".

I watch Hook, and wonder when I personally strangled my inner child.

And then I reopen the book in my bag, and I cheer, and he peeks out again...for a bit.