What was your favourite activity as a kid?
I was thinking about this today and I can't really remember having a favourite thing to do. I enjoyed playing sports, but I don't think that was ever on my mind as a focus point. I didn't play an instrument, but I did draw and read a lot. Yet, favourite doesn't come to mind.
You?
It is kind of interesting to consider since "childhood" has such a profound effect on the rest of our lives, but most of it isn't really that significant in terms of memory. Yes, I remember a lot of things, but how important should they be to my current condition?
Therapists seem to always focus on childhood as the source of all the future ills and while I might agree in some respects, I also think it might be because we have put too much attention on childhood itself. Especially now where childhood seems to be extending into the thirties and beyond.
I ran into a neighbour while walking the dog and she was saying how her sixteen year old son is being a little asshole at the moment, but there is little she can do about it. And I was saying how it wasn't that long ago that he would already be working at the start of a career and perhaps even considering a future family. Maybe those "asshole years" that some kids have is a natural evolutionary feature to say, time to go out into the world on your own.
But it hasn't been that way for a while and now we have low-maturity adults who have been sheltered from a lot of the challenges in life, supported by family and teachers so they don't have to learn and build their own strategies to cope in the world. And lo and behold, once in the world with low experience and low strategy, they suffer.
Maybe it is a good thing (maybe not) I don't remember a lot of the great parts about being a kid, because perhaps there weren't that many. But perhaps if childhood was filled with rainbows and unicorns, I would be one of those overly sensitive people with no strategy to deal with hardship, which might make experience worse. Maybe it is not. Perhaps it would be better to be naïve to the realities of the world and head into it as if I am entitled to travel unharmed. I expect that I can do as I please. go where I please, how I please, and will meet no resistance along the way.
It isn't reality.
No, but perhaps it makes everything more of a surprise, rather than being able to predict what is going to happen, and mitigate the risks. It would be like living life as a child, carefree and innocent, due to a complete lack of regard for the realities and probabilities of experience. It might be why people seem to believe they can "beat the odds" on pretty much everything, and why so many people put themselves into situations that are obviously dangerous. They expect to be okay, because they do not consider the alternative at all.
Life of a child?
I can't remember that kind of attitude as a child, but I think that due to circumstances, I was forced to mature a bit faster than many, and that continued on through teen years and beyond. I don't think I ever got to live the life of a child in the same way as the majority of my peers, so it was natural that I ended up different. Not better mind you, perhaps significantly worse, but different nonetheless.
When my daughter was a baby and even as an older toddler, she had "bath toys" of some kind, like a rubber ducky. But, I don't remember having any of that kind of stuff and I think that bath time was a practical thing that had to be done. It wasn't play time, and whether I liked it or not, I would be having a bath. There was no negotiation. And it wasn't too long after that I was taking care of myself anyway, so it was my responsibility to be clean, otherwise I wouldn't be.
Not a great experience, but more true to reality?
The problem I have with reality today is, it sucks. I totally understand why so many people find ways to avoid seeing it, dealing with it, feeling it, because it is largely ugly, complicated and painful. It is far easier to live in the fantasy world of a pretend reality, where we can believe that we are the masters of our own destiny and we will be able to overcome all the negatives, because we are strong, independent and capable.
When it all comes crashing down?
At least they didn't see it coming.
Taraz
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My favorite thing to do was probably ride my bike or play with my Legos. I probably had a pretty normal childhood and if you were to calculate my ACE score it would probably be pretty close to zero.
Never heard of an ACE score abd had to look it up. I suspect mine wouldn't be great :)
From what you have said it doesn't sound like it!
I took an ACE quiz and scored 1. It was nearly all about drinking/drugs and physical violence. I didn't have that kind of childhood!
Interesting. I thought it was a standard thing based on what my wife had said, but maybe it isn't.
Maybe there are several versions
I was six-years old, when I was introduced to the world of football. The first person who introduced it was a Ronaldo's fan. Contrary to my first coach, I turned out to be a Messi's fan. I still remember, on my very first day, I got knocked out really bad that I fainted. However, when I woke up, everyone was so worried and I had no idea what even had happened. That day till now after 17-18 years, I am still playing football. So, basically, sports was my sort of favorite activity; but football had my love. Another thing was my writing my daily activity. I started this journey on my 10th birthday; I ended this journey of mine on 11th. I tried writing again, bought diaries over and over again, but ther wasn't charm in it. So, I just let it go. Other than that I cannot recall anything special.
Moreover, I think that a child should live a mixed life. A guardian must be a protector, but at the same time, a guardian must let the child deal with the situation. Let the child get hurt - mentally and physically. Nowadays, I have seen people not sending their children for a football (or anything else) session, just because they might get hurt. I get it, they are worried, but the real world is just full of bullies. Once they reach such a stage, where this "princess treatment" isn't accessible anymore, they will be haunted for life. So, those asx hole years are necessary; one gets to learn a lot from those moments. Experience, nothing else, is the only form of betterment. And, it is only possible through practicality, not imagination.
Otherwise, world is a fairy tale, and you are allergic to oxygen.
Do you still have it? Might be an interesting read :)
This is the problem these days imo - the kids aren't allowed to learn.
It is an interesting read. Like even I, too, sometimes feel embarrassed. I wanted to be a soldier and fight aliens. Me thinking of leaving my house, because my parents were rude to me. List of promises I made to myself. So on and on...
Ah youth.
At some point, we should not let those traumas define and limit us. It is a choice really. With everything that is shitty right now, there is something that is vastly better than it was for past generations.
I choose to preserve youth in my attitude, acknowledge but let go as many bad things from youth as possible, and mine my memory for the simple times knowing it is all the same, I just observe it differently.
Yes - but are they the things that really matter? Medicine perhaps, but even that has been twisted into a largely grotesque form of what it should be.
The idiots may have the megaphone now but it will come around.
probably gaming. From what I remember I was never a big people person. So I preferred discovering worlds created by someone's imagination. I also liked reading. I suppose watching anime comes in third place (but I only remember watching a few animes as a kid. Dragon ball/dragon ball Z/ rurouni kenshin...most animes I only watched later). Now I play games less often but sometimes still find a true gem like Disco Elysium(probably the most unique game I ever played-your main character starts the game so drunk that he has now idea who he is or where he is. So his interaction with the world is really hilarious) or Baldurs Gate 3(this one I still have not completed).
I remember playing Baldurs Gate somewhere back around 1998 perhaps :D
Also I ‘grew up’ quicker than the average other kid/teen. Boarding schools from age 6 onwards till a kinda student home from age 15. I have no clienof this was a good or bad path for me. I just know I had to fight for myself in boarding schools, and being responsible early in life.
The ‘fairytale’ worlds kids live in today, where parents protect their kids from all harm, may cause the enourmous amount of depressed kids and teens we uave these days. An opinion at this stage, not researched this… What I do know, peeps, specialists, refer to social media and parents telling their kids they are good in everything might by drivers for depression. I like to add resiliance. Something that may be developed by not being protected by our parents all the time and experience life in which we have more responsibilities early in life.
Boardings schools from what I hear can be hard. Back in the day, even harder.
I think there is a strong connection too. Reality bites, mentality fails.
Resilience is at an all time low - like Hive :)
I didn't have a favorite toy, but I did love to make soldiers out of Plasteline and tanks and all kinds of other stuff, then I would put them out in a composition. Then I would take our air rifle and would shoot them up :)
:D
I could only dream of having an air rifle. Were you a good shot?
I used to be, but now totally out of practice. Though there is a red dot to help with targeting now...
ahhhhhhh.. the asshole years.. :P
and what about ernie? he is an 'adult', but luvs his rubber ducky! (i neve had one either.)
it made me think of my son, who is a quiet, serious type mostly. he is also #1 in his class, in perfect health, does wrestling, swimming, and judo as well as band, JROTC and often goes to church with his few friends. My sister's boy, on the other hand is very overweight, works a mindless pay check job, and doesn't really seem to think or care about anything resembling real or serious or responsible.. but he is smiley and a great entertainer, so he is cool. :P
He also shares a bed with Bert.
I wonder if it is better on average to be serious or carefree in terms of life experience?
I liked playing games for money. Coins, cards, checkers, chess, dice (my love for probability theory), etc. A little later, computer games.
After watching the movie "Wall Street," I knew I wanted to work from home on a computer connected to the stock exchange. It was 1989, the Soviet Union, and no one knew what the internet was :)
I don't get why so many people like Wall Street....
I could only remember the toy truck 🛻 my dad bought for as a kid before he passed; that was the only toy I got as a kid. Nevertheless, my childhood was memorable.
I bet you treasured it. Do you still have it?
No, I lost it 🥹
I wish I still have it
i enjoyed playing pokemon on my gambeboy. especially trading pokemon with my friends to complete the pokedex.
Do you still play?
not anymore. busy with work now. hehe
As a Kid I loved playing Cricket the whole day; I still remember whenever we (a group of 6 friends) got early holiday from school we hardly spent few minutes at home and left to play Cricket, we play for the whole day no matter if it was raining or heavy hot temperature we kept playing;
No one can ever forget their childhood never;
batter or bowler?
At that time I was all-rounder;
But now I am just a Batsman.
I'll just ignore the serious bulk of the post and pretend it isn't there.
Childhood fun included LEGO, Matchbox cars, jigsaw puzzles, books, coloring books, building forts in the woods, playing in the dirt, visiting playgrounds, t-ball/softball/baseball, and occasional family road trips to visit relatives. Some were a 3-hour journey, others a 3-day trip. It was a fairly active and enriching life I lead.
What happened?
Baths were pretty boring until Mr. Bubbles came about. lol.
When I was a kid, my favorite hobby was diary writing. For me, it was more than just a pastime; it nurtured my creativity and provided me with a safe space to express myself. 😇