As kids age, they earn more freedoms.

They start out crawling, then walking. They move on to riding a bike and then driving a car. It all happens over the better part of two decades, but that is the natural order of things.

One look at a naked toddler running down the hallway after a bath, and I’m rethinking this natural order of things. What about the freedoms that toddlers have that disappear in adulthood? There are days I want to revert to acting like a toddler.

Growing up is a trade off. There are freedoms won, and freedoms lost.

There are so many things our offspring can get away with that don’t wash in mom or dad’s world.

Here are four:

1) Go Streaking

When toddlers go streaking with a rebellious smile on their face, it’s freaking adorable. When adults go streaking it ends up looking more like Frank the Tank (Will Farrell) in the cult classic Old School. At some point you have to consider that not everyone wants to see that.

2) Dance With No Music 

The other day I caught Jamie doing this. A lot of times he’ll perk up and dance when an unexpected song comes on the television. But when inspiration strikes he’ll dance with nothing in the background. For an adult, picture a Dead Head with no jam band behind them. For an adult to do this, somebody’s going to accuse you of being on drugs. It’s a valid hypothesis, and more likely than just being high on life.

3) Run Around and Yell In Public

I work on a computer all day long. Sometimes nothing seems better than burning a little energy off. But if I were to run around my workplace aimlessly yelling, there better be a fire. OK, so I can do this in public if Jamie’s around and doing the same thing. Kind of. Anything to entertain a 2-year-old.

4) Live Life With No Filter 

If I don’t like something Meg cooked I keep my mouth shut, or offer feedback in a diplomatic, constructive manner. Then there’s Jamie, who can throw the offending food, finger paint with it, or wear it in his hair. All of this can be done while yelling and screaming “NO!!” and violently shaking his head as we try to feed him. We’ve implemented time outs for excessive behavior. We haven’t even gotten to the random/inappropriate questions stage, but the lack of filter is still noticeable.

Sometimes, it’s the simple things I miss – behaviors so simple the rest of the world might deem you clinically insane.