Can we take our “inner child” off-line?

Can we take our “inner child” off-line?

“Why did I say that?”
How many times have you been embarrassed when you said something that sounded like a child was speaking?  A possible answer is that you weren't truly doing the speaking, your “inner-child” was.  
In that moment and in that conversation your inner child took over your listening and speaking.  When holding an adult-to-adult conversation you became distracted by a piece of undigested memory from the past that affected your capacity to think and to respond clearly and appropriately.
It is similar in some respects to listening on what used to be called a “party line. “
Party lines were installed where there was a single telephone connection to a community. More than one household would share a single telephone line with a number of neighbors.  To place a call on a party line you first had to pick up the telephone to listen if the telephone line was clear; when your phone rang you picked up the phone to hear if the call was for you and not for the household down the road.
You can imagine this arrangement had a potential to generate serious social mischief; you could never be confident no one else was listening to your private conversation. People were upset; often insulted when a neighbor added their opinion to what they thought was a private conversation.
In some ways your hearing and listening apparatus resembles a party line. Not only are you listening with your adult self you are also listening in along with your inner five year old and teenage selves.
The way to get your inner child and teenager “off-line” is to distinguish and remember that you always have an inner child and teenager on your "line." Once you expect they are listening in you can filter them out. As soon as they start to fidget and seem to have something to say you tell them quietly, “Thank you, but please keep your opinion to yourself,” and ask them to, “Please get off my adult call. We'll chat later on, I promise.” Then you can return to what you really wanted to say.
Thomas Jefferson had it right when he said, “Eternal vigilance is the price of freedom.” If you wish to listen and speak freely as an adult, to be accountable for everything you say, you will need to be in charge of all your conversations-and leave the kids at home.

Part Two: 

Who is speaking? If we all have inner party lines, how can we communicate effectively?
Once you have mastered your “inner party line” you can be accountable for your half of any conversation. From then on effective communication will call for you to be aware that those with whom you are speaking have inner party lines as well. Over time and with practice, you will be able to recognize who you are speaking to: an adult, or someone on their party line?