I think that some of my resistance to the "inner child" is about how the concept can sometimes get stuck on the "child" piece as if only certain things nurture children (and not adults). In some ways, being a parent to your own actual child is nurturing to all parts of you, because play is fun, including building stuff in the sand, building blocks, I have really loved building train track sets, making art/craft projects together. So being a parent gives you an excuse to do these things, but they are fun as an adult too. We can "play" as adults with or without our children.

But in terms of my own inner world, the most nurturing thing I have done is just to sit with my younger self and be willing to listen to what she has to say. Communicating back helps too. But mostly, especially when she is wreaking havoc, as you put it, I find that is a request to listen. If I can tune in and be quiet, I can usually get what she's saying. From having my own kid, I can definitely say that listening is really an important nurturing behavior. As it is sometimes said, don't just DO something, sit there (and listen).