10 ‘Childish’ Things That I Enjoy As An Adult

A lot of my friends are doing very grown-up things at the moment such as having babies, buying houses, or moving in together. I think what they’re doing is great, and those are all things I want to do myself in the future. However, whilst I like doing grown-up things myself [for instance, I actually enjoy doing my laundry for some reason], I also appreciate the fact that I’m still able to enjoy some of the same things I enjoyed as a child. Here are ten things that I enjoyed as a child, and still like doing now:

 

1. Watching Fireworks

Fireworks night is one of my favourite nights of the year – I still get excited when the first firework erupts in the sky. I love the noise, the colours, the darkness, the sense of tradition, and the cosy feeling of being bundled up against a cold November night.  And I can look at a bonfire for hours.

2. Blowing bubblegum

I couldn’t actually properly blow bubblegum bubbles as a child – I only learned how to do it when I was a teenager, but before that I attempted to blow bubbles a lot! As a child I thought that blowing bubbles looked cool, and as an adult I think it still does. There’s just something so defiant and cheeky about it, and if I ever saw someone in a suit do it, it would please me no end.

3. Watching cartoons

Nothing makes me forget the stresses of being an adult faster than watching a cartoon. By cartoon, I don’t mean asinine cartoons such as Tom and Jerry [those kinds of cartoons are actually more tedious than relaxing] but cheerful uplifting cartoons such as Disney’s The Weekenders or Studio Ghibli’s My Neighbour Toroto; cartoons that essentially celebrate all the magic of being a child without responsibilities.

 

4. Reading children’s books

I get annoyed when people tell me I need to stop reading children’s books. Whilst I enjoy books written for adults, I actually think that children’s books are great at providing insights and perspectives that adults often miss out on, because children see the world differently to adults. Also, children’s books are often more imaginative than adult books and so they can often be more entertaining to read. I intend to keep reading them for the foreseeable future, as I believe I can keep on learning from them.

 

5. Revelling in the run up to Christmas

I am some people’s worst nightmare. I love cheesy Christmas songs, still get impressed by Christmas trees, feel happier when I see Christmas lights on the street and get excited when the Starbucks’ red cups first make an appearance. I love the run up to Christmas, and working with children means that I have an excuse to revel in it even more.

6. Daydreaming

Sometimes reality is harsh, and daydreaming is my way of coping with that, and always has been. Still, I don’t use it to bury my head in the sand – I tackle my problems head on. Rather, daydreaming gives me the inspiration to keep going; it’s a brief respite from worrying too much, and actually I’ve found the solution to a lot of obstacles when my head’s been in the clouds.

7. Eating junk food.

As an adult, I now possess the knowledge that junk food is bad for me [this message didn’t resonate so much as a child – as a child I ate everything in my sight, whether it was good or bad…actually I still do that to some extent] but that knowledge only serves to make the whole junk food experience sweeter. Oh, there’s no nutrients in this bag of crisps? So that’s why they’re so yummy….

 

8.  Dancing around my room.

I’ve been dancing round my room since I was about 11 [and prior to that, my sisters and I would dance around the living room and have mini-discos] and honestly nothing gives you such an endorphin high as bouncing around in a completely unrestrained fashion, safe in the knowledge that nobody can see you. And now I’m older, I’m more aware of all the awesome music out there, so my dance parties are even more fun.

 

9. Wearing fancy dress

Granted, I barely ever don fancy dress but when I do, I enjoy it immensely. I love how when you wear fancy dress, you effectively feel like you’re channelling the characteristics of whomever you’re going as. You’re in that Barbie mentality of ‘today I’m going to be a superhero’ and then when you put the outfit on, you kind of do feel like one [although actually, I’ve never dressed up as a superhero…]. It’s liberating to embody someone else from time to time.

10. Colouring in

I actually wrote a blogpost about the benefits of colouring in, it’s good for increasing concentration and improving co-ordination [though as an adult, you probably will have developed those things to a degree already] and as with daydreaming, it’s also a good way of unlocking creativity. You can in fact buy colouring books for adults, so clearly I’m not the only one who thinks they’re not just for children!

 

I think that if there’s something you enjoyed doing as a child, there’s no shame in indulging in it as an adult if you feel so inclined.  I should add that I’m only talking about pastimes here [such as playing with lego or riding your bike] and that I’m not advocating we all behave like spoiled toddlers – let’s not do that!