You Can Be Proud Of Your Wild Child Phase, Because It’s Made You Who You Are

Our society loves to shame us for partying hard, trying out different substances, or experimenting with sex. As nice as it is to fall in line with the establishment and avoid all the wild things in life, it’s not necessarily the best thing for us to do. Though it’s true that you’ll risk a lot of potentially bad situations, having a moderate wild child period in your life is a healthy thing to do. Here’s why getting a little crazy once in a while can benefit you, and possibly people around you.

  1. It will teach you about yourself.  I’m a firm believer that you don’t really know yourself until you give yourself permission to cut loose. Partying hard, going on crazy trips, or even just experimenting with a lover can teach you volumes about what you like, what you don’t like, what matters to you, and what you can do without.
  2. Crazy situations can mature you, too.  One of the bad parts about having a wild period in your life is that you will make mistakes, and at times, it will make life tougher. Well, this isn’t necessarily always a bad thing. Assuming that the blow you have been dealt isn’t a life-ruiner, a wild child period will help you straighten up and work harder towards living a good life.
  3. Being a wild child also makes you better with people. If you want to get better social skills, hit up the club, go to a bar, and just party. Seriously, go out and have fun. You’ll begin to like people more, and you’ll also learn how to carry on conversation with total strangers. If you’re seasoned in the club scene, you also will gain a better grip on subtle cues about people, and also get a better idea of how to hit it off with a total hottie. Practice makes perfect, so make sure to learn frequently.
  4. Partying also gives you great stories to tell friends and future kids.  Let’s just face it – people love a great story. Great experiences, especially those that involve funny moments or taboo subjects, make for great stories. If you want to be able to tell stories that will have people laughing, wondering how you did it, or really just inspire people, having a wild child history will definitely give you the experiences you need. Whether it’s a cautionary tale you want to tell your kids in the future, or just a hilarious story that you share with friends, partying will give you stories.
  5. FOMO is real.  FOMO, also known as “Fear Of Missing Out,” is something you should be concerned about, to a point. No one wants to be the person who turns 60, only to realize that they never did anything fun in their life. No one wants to  look back at a life, and wonder what it would have been like if they had chosen a different path. More often than not, what we regret most is not having fun in our early days.
  6. You need to get the inner wild child out of your system.  Speaking from personal experience, if you never put in the effort to get the need for crazy parties out of your system, it will interfere with your ability to live a normal life. You will always have that temptation to run amok if you leave it bottled up.  If you want to fully commit to being an adult, sow your wild oats during your youth. It’s just that simple.
  7. After having been out and about, you’ll be less judgmental.  Preachy, judgy people are people who typically aren’t happy. They are also people who will end up shutting people out of their lives who would be great friends, and they also end up hurting others with their prejudice. Being a former party person will put things in perspective, and give you a more realistic view on people.

Living free is an absolutely mandatory part of a healthy person’s life, and that much is something I know. The key thing to remember is to realize when it’s time to grow up, when the party gets too crazy, and who should be by your side every step of the way. As long as you do it in moderation, your wild years could be your best teacher in the school of life.

Ossiana Tepfenhart is a New Jersey based writer and editor with bylines in Mashed, Newsbreak, Good Men Project, YourTango, and many more. She’s also the author of a safe travel guide for LGBTQIA+ people available on Amazon.

She regularly writes on her popular Medium page and posts on TikTok and Instagram @ossianamakescontent.
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