Healing My Inner Child, One Pokémon Card at a Time

I didn't start collecting Pokémon cards as a kid even though I wanted to.

And that part matters.

I always wanted Pokémon cards when I was younger. I'd seen other kids with binders, trading at school, showing off their pulls, and I remember thinking how fun it looked. But it wasn't something I ever got to experience. Life was different back then. Priorities were elsewhere. Some things just didn't happen.

So, I grew up without them.... I thought that part of me was gone.

Then in 2024 something happened,

After my divorce after surviving a chapter of my life that took more from me than I realized at the time. I found myself in a space where healing didn't feel rushed anymore. And now, I'm with someone who genuinely wants me happy. Not controlled. Not minimized. Just happy.

Someone who doesn't question joy.

Someone who lets me fill our home with the things I love, the things I never got to experience before without making me feel silly or small for it.

That's when Pokémon cards came back into my life.

It started simple. My best friend gifted me my first pack of Pokémon cards. And that grew into another pack, and then another. Then I realized something hit deeper than nostalgia.

This wasn't about collecting cards.

This was about letting my inner child finally have something.

Now my house looks like joy!

My Breyer horses? They're displayed in my room, not boxed away, not hidden, but seen. Cute stuffed animals I find adorable? They live on my bed (if my kids don't take them)

My walls are decorated with my favorite characters gaming, anime, comfort favorites that make me smile when I walk by.

And for the first time in my life, I don't feel like I need permission to enjoy it.

What makes it even sweeter is that my kids get to do the same.

They decorate their rooms with what they love.

They surround themselves with things that make them happy.

And they get to see their mom doing it too.

There's something powerful about that! Healing together, not just individually.

As my interested shifted so did my collection.

I stepped away from collecting Breyer horses the I used to not because I stopped loving them, but because I made room for something new. I started collecting gaming merch, anime merch, little things that reflect who I am now.

But Pokémon cards?

Those became my favorite.

They're my tiny favorite thing to collect.

They don't take up too much space (yet)

They're easy to organize.

They're fun to flip through.

And every card feels like a small moment of joy.

No pressure.

No expectations.

Just little spark of happiness.

Collecting Pokémon cards now feels like honoring the kid who didn't get to and celebrating the woman who finally can.

My inner child couldn't be happier.

And neither could I