Bringing Out the Kid in You - Contest Winners!

I'm happy to announce the winners of the Bringing Out the Kid in You contest hosted by Discovering Dad and sponsored by Nestle Crunch.

Top Prize = Nintendo Wii Game System!!!
Second Prize = Nestle Crunch Pinata
Winner = Andrea from Little Bald Doctors who wrote Memories of a Wee Me

Third Prize = Box of Nestle Candy
Winner = Matt from The Playpen who wrote Finding Him

International Prize = $25 Starbucks Gift Card
Winner = Mr Lady from Whiskey In My Sippy Cup

All entrants of the contest who wrote a blog post entry received a Thumbs Up from StumbleUpon from me as a small way to say thanks for entering! All comment entries were also greatly appreciated!

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Here is Chuck's winning entry:

My life is good. The few complaints I have are brought forth, more often than not, by a bad day or a bad moment. Each of them fleeting though never as quickly as one might hope when in them. It’s in these low times that I reflect on the child in me and those things that can draw out the memories of the innocence of my youth. Those days when so much, and so many, did not hang in the balance.


of puddles and rain

When I realize the summer rain is inescapable it releases something inside me akin to childlike joy. The moment when the drops connect and run streaming down my neck. When I’m too far from my destination to make a run for it without getting soaked and I just stop. Stop. I raise my head to the sky with eyes partially open and a grin that cannot be squelched. In this instant I’m six years old again. The smell of the water washes over me and if I listen closely I can hear the childhood friends of yesteryear splashing in the puddles around me.

those little green army men

Once upon a time video games only consisted of a pong cartridge and an Atari paddle. While this was pretty amazing in its day it was not enough to lure me away from my bag of green army men for very long. Even today just seeing these little green guys is enough to make me feel like a child. I can feel the dirt under my fingernails from digging trenches by hand for them to hide in. The elaborate structures we would build with sticks and fallen leaves. The strategies we would develop. The lands we would conquer.

escaping with fear and wonder

I started reading for pleasure when I was pretty young. It wasn’t long before I knew the horror genre held something special for me. While I could get lost in just about any book it was those authored by Stephen King that didn’t like to let me go. The same was true of Poe’s short stories and as I grew into a teen the allure of Edgar Rice Burroughs took me deep into the jungle with a man that was raised by apes. Today books are the shortest route to the child in me. I refuse to let the rough texture of life soften the wonder that can be found within their pages.

creek beds and crawfish

Growing up along the North Carolina coast makes for a lot of wet fun. I would spend hours investigating creek beds near our home; filling mason jars with tadpoles and occasionally finding the treasure of a crawfish or young box turtle. This was back in the day when play clothes really were worn for nothing else and the smell of mud, no matter how often they were washed, could not be removed from my Levi’s. These creeks, and all they hold, still contain a magic for me today. If you happen upon a pair of worn tennis shoes on the bank of a creek and see a guy that looks a little too old to be playing with minnows, don’t be alarmed. It’s just me.

It seems that for many the meaning of becoming an adult includes letting go of the child. I imagine there is a point in time when this is true. When one believes those childish things and acts should be put away only to be stumbled upon years later when the opportunity to reclaim them may have passed. I don’t subscribe to this way of thinking. Being a good dad involves remembering and connecting with the child you used to be. While I know when to act like a grown up the child is always within reach.

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Congratulations to all of the winners and thanks for sharing such awesome stories about what Brings Out the Kid in You!!!

I'd like to thank Nestle Crunch for sponsoring this exciting contest, and I encourage you to visit their For the Kid in You website or Facebook page.