Permission to Play: Why Grown Women Should Color Outside the Lines

Who made the rule that grown women can’t play? That glitter is for kids, or that sidewalk chalk should be left to the playground.

Mama, tear that rule up. Set it on fire. Dance around it barefoot. Because joy doesn’t age, and your creativity didn’t expire when you turned 40.

You don’t need permission to play. But just in case you forgot, this is it.

The Saturday Morning That Reminded Me

Not long ago, I found myself sitting cross-legged on the floor with a box of crayons. No agenda, no expectations. Just me, a coloring book, a mug of cinnamon dolce latte, and silence.

I drew wild suns with lashes, women with purple afros, and flower petals that refused to stay inside the lines.

And you know what? I felt free.

It hit me how long it had been since I did something just because it made me smile. Not to be productive. Not to check a box. Just to delight in being alive.

That moment became a sacred little spark that reminded me: joyful self-expression is not a luxury. It’s a lifeline.

Why Women Forget to Play

As women, especially in midlife, we’ve worn so many roles: mother, partner, boss, caretaker, nurturer. We’ve been told to be serious, responsible, reliable. Somewhere along the way, play got shoved into the attic with the board games and hula hoops.

We’re taught that fun is frivolous. That glitter is childish. That joy must be earned only after all the work is done.

But here’s the truth: you are not just roles and responsibilities. You’re also the dreamer, doodler, dancer, and divine creator. That playful version of you, the one who scribbled stars, sang off-key, and twirled until she was dizzy, she hasn’t gone anywhere. She’s still in there. Waiting.

And she has the audacity to believe you still deserve joy without justification.

The Power of Play in Midlife

Play isn’t about being childish. It’s about being alive.

It’s the spice in the soup, the swing in your step, the color splashed across your calendar. It softens the edges of overwhelm, lifts the heaviness, and reconnects you to possibility.

When we play, we create space for curiosity and courage. We shake loose the weight of “should” and step into the freedom of “why not?”

At 55, play for me looks like Afro-boho fashion, bold jewelry, and dancing barefoot in my living room. It looks like thrifting treasures, writing poems on napkins, and laughing so hard my mascara runs.

Play keeps me soft. It keeps me light. And it keeps me me.

What Play Might Look Like

Play doesn’t need to be complicated or curated. It might look like:

✨ Twirling in your living room in a kaftan with Aretha on the speakers
✨ Finger painting with no concern for the mess
✨ Writing poetry in sidewalk chalk on your patio
✨ Rearranging your books by color instead of subject (because it feels like a rainbow)
✨ Singing your grocery list in your best Whitney voice
✨ Buying a hula hoop. Or a jump rope. Or glitter nail polish.

It’s anything that says: “I’m doing this because it feels good, not because it makes sense.”

Playful + Poetic Exercises

🌈 Color Outside the Lines Session
Grab paper, markers, paint, or crayons. Set a timer for 15 minutes. No rules, no judgment. Just express. Then take a picture of it and call it art, because it is.

🌻Joy Date with Your Inner Child
Schedule one hour this week to do something purely playful. Blow bubbles, visit a thrift shop, bake a messy cake, or watch your favorite childhood cartoon. Let her lead.

💃🏾Dance Break Ritual
Choose a “permission to play” song (like Chaka Khan’s “I’m Every Woman”) and dance like nobody’s watching. Unless someone is, then dance even harder.

🪞 Creative Affirmation Mirror
Say this while looking at yourself: “My creativity is sacred. My joy is necessary. My play is powerful.”

Give Yourself Permission

You’re not too old. You’re not too late. You’re not too anything to be wildly, whimsically you.

Give yourself permission to color outside the lines, wear sequins on a Tuesday, laugh too loud, and write love notes to your soul.

That inner child isn’t gone. She’s just been waiting for an invitation. So go ahead and open the door. Invite her in. Let her twirl with you, doodle with you, and remind you that play is not a phase you outgrow. It’s a rhythm you return to.

Because joy isn’t childish. It’s life-giving. And your play is powerful.

💛 Reflection for You: What playful practice is calling to you right now? How can you give your inner child permission to create, dance, or delight this week?