"Innocent" or "Childish" Pursuits

I'm still a bit childish...

Lego. I have held onto all my Lego since I was a kid and I continue to add more sets to my collected. I prefer Technic, Mindstorms, and the traditional town and space Lego to many of the more recent 'themed' sets as they enourage more creativity and innovation.

Cartoons. Including those older than I am such as the Mysterious Cities of Gold, Ulysses 31, Dungeons & Dragons, and Jayce & the Wheeled Warriors.

BMX riding. Unlike my other two childish pursuits this one cannot be concealed at home. Anybody past the age of 25 in employment who rides a BMX is putting their career at risk.

An immature sense of humour. Finding things to do with toilets or staining settees with beetroot juice amusing.

Hello, I am trying to 'figure things out' here on the website since I'm new, I saw a notification that said that you had replied to my comment but I can't figure out where it is... The bottom purple banner keeps scrolling up when I try to move the page along, then when I got it to stop doing it - the notification flag went away and said there is none... So know that if you replied to my comment - that I would like to see it but have no idea where to go to see it... hope your weekend is beautiful... : )

I like blowing bubbles, I say I get them for my cat, tho she hates getting wet and runs away from them.  Colouring books for adult, sometimes goi in a sweet shop, or cuddle a teddy bear!!!

I agree I was bought some chocolate teddy bears a number of years ago, and still got them uneaten, and complete, they look too good to eat, same with cake art, I couldn't cut into such an art as I feel I'm destroying someones hard work!!

Your comment and the gentle truth of being a soul that has not 'given in' to conformity nor willingly accepted the idealized, yet far-from-perfection' concept of 'fitting into the norm', shows the more honest view, (in my humble opinion), of what it is to be 'an Aspie'. 

When, if ever we do, lose our joy of the simple things - I think our spiritual eyes 'begin to dim'... We do not see the beauty of all the most precious moments if we are not willing to see that truly, the most valuable things are 'free', and has to do with the way we choose to 'look upon the world'.

may you have a beautiful day...

Trainspotter said:

4Another childish quirk I have - I can't bear to eat chocolate that is moulded into cute animals or the like.  I have a 'Snowman' shaped chocolate which I have had for a few years and several bunnies.  Eventually they get broken and have to be thrown away, but eating them would be like some form of cannibalism!

Same here.  I wouldn't eat jelly babies as a child and I have several chocolate 'bunnies' on a shelf which I know I will never be able to bring myself to eat.

I remember the credits of Ready Steady Go in the sixties with Cathy McGowan and I think that made me realise that there is no shame in doing such things. 

I am fascinated by their colours, the fact that they form spheres that seemingly float and then without warning they can just vanish to nothing.  Something that was once there is gone forever, although another one can be created it is different to the original.  I also think those 'bubble machines' take a lot of the fun out of it, the actual blowing is part of the creative process, not getting some machine to do it for you.  And a small pot of bubbles can be carried in the pocket ready for action at any time!

I think it great to walk through puddles.  I don't very often wear wellies out except perhaps in snow, but I don't let that put me off!  My footwear of choice is clogs (english clogs that is with a leather upper and wooden soles.  They are very resilient to wet and mud, just need a good clean afterwards and I take pride in clieaning them but not worrying about getting them dirty.  Muddy fields or canal towpaths, they all present a challenge and a bit of fun!

Another childish quirk I have - I can't bear to eat chocolate that is moulded into cute animals or the like.  I have a 'Snowman' shaped chocolate which I have had for a few years and several bunnies.  Eventually they get broken and have to be thrown away, but eating them would be like some form of cannibalism!

Wellington said:

It is strange how people can be so judgemental. Makes no sense to me. After reading some of these posts it  makes me want to try some of these activities to see if I get anything from them, such as the bubble blowing. Does anyone else have the same thoughts?

I wonder if any neurotypicals would have the same sense of wanting to try these. Or would they be seemed to be too eccentric pastimes?

Maybe doing things like bubble blowing takes us back to the innocent feeling of experiencing something for its own sake - not worrying about whether it's sensible or causing a mess but just because it's enjoyable.

I think Aspies may have an advantage over NT's in not being encumbered by feelings of having to conform, which allows them to be more independently minded.

Perhaps Aspies are that much better at asking: 'what if' than other people because of their perceived naivety, a naivaty they have never lost.

It is strange how people can be so judgemental. Makes no sense to me. After reading some of these posts it  makes me want to try some of these activities to see if I get anything from them, such as the bubble blowing. Does anyone else have the same thoughts?

I wonder if any neurotypicals would have the same sense of wanting to try these. Or would they be seemed to be too eccentric pastimes?

Wellington, yes, I think you have highlighted the tendency of autistics to disregard the desire to 'conform' to social norms and act in a way that pleases them, not other people.

In a way, I feel a bit sorry for some people who are terrified of going against the accepted fashions of the day because they often have to 'act out' their behaviour in order to follow the herd and don't really know how to enjoy themselves any more.

The other day I happened to be in a shop and they asked me if they could have my cell phone number for purposes of sending me texts messages and, to my embarrassment, I couldn't remember it as I rarely use it for making calls. But then I thought, why did I feel so caught out by this? Why should I be automatically expected to carry around such details in my head when there is so much else to think about?

This is the point. We seem to be carried along by fashions and if we don't allow ourselves to be dominated by what other people want us to be we can tend to be looked on as 'odd' or 'eccentric'. 

Yes, I don't think you should be put off from indulging in 'childish' activities that are not causing any harm to others, just because some NT are judgemental. It's a shame that everyone can't be like you wellington. Then we would all be out in the street blowing bubbles, jumping in puddles, running and  skipping with arms outstreched while giggling (what I love to do) and playing with our yo-yo. I take a leaf from Nietzsche's book here: in order to be authentic we must shun the common decorum of the crowd - by doing so we might face ridicule, but at least  we are acting as free agents.

I am a little late coming to the table here but wanted to share my childish quirk. Firstly though, I totally agree with comments made here about social norms and being left alone. I too have a strong interest in Buddishm and can see autism has evolutiionary benefits. The sixth sense  thing is something that is linked to this idea too. What little experience I have had with autistic people in life, I have found a feeling of mutual understanding which I have lacked amongst neurotypicals. This is one of the reasons I am seeking diagnosis. 

Anyway back to topic. One of the ways I like to unwind is walking in the rain. I love long country walks by myself in wet and muddy conditions. And as long as there is not anyone around puddle jumping is a must. Or walking through mud. I think it's a sensory thing. The smell of the rain, the noise of water, squelch of  mud, the freshness of the air and the sillyness of it is what makes it enjoyable. It's somehow relaxing. In contrast I hate walking in summer when it's too hot and bright. Just curious anyone else enjoy this? 

I think most neurotypical people dismiss and deny themselves these sort of activities, such as bubble blowing as mentioned in the start of this thread, as they see it as childish. However, the benefits of acting younger and doing activities like this have been proven to help de-stress people. I think there is too much stigma associated with it. For example I have been out walking I have seen people carefully balance around mud and puddles despite wearing wellies. I find this amusing. You have manged to put on the appropriate footwear but then you do this. Why? Reading this thread and thinking about this makes me wonder if the world needs people to be a little less embarassed with innocent activities. After all, you only have to look at how popular those colouring books now are as a form of relaxation. A few years ago if you said at the office, what are you doing tonight? and someone said, I'm off home to do some colouring in, that person might have been up for ridicule. Now it is acceptable!

Any thoughts on this?

Martian Tom said:

Makes me wonder whether Aspies, among others, have a singular ability for mystical experience. Maybe, possessing a brain that is differently wired, they can somehow sense aspects of nature others cannot; a kind of 'sixth sense', if you will.