Im not that old, but I do wonder at what point, if ever, is it sad to find toys/stuff designed for young people fun?
I dont like hunting and meat smokers. Or sports. Im into classic consoles and rc cars and Legos. Sometimes I feel like people have kids just so they can try to relive their own kid days. But I do that on a daily basis. Im surrounded by “kid” stuff, right down to 90s vhs cartoons and a Bop it.
My co workers would think its very odd that I spent the weekend playing atari and building legos. I guess I did put up some wood paneling too. But most other people were probably trucking their kids to sports practice and smoking a hog.
Not nearly as sad as avoiding something you enjoy just because somebody else might find out.
Misery likes company.
My SIL “jokes” that I “must be autistic” because I didn’t want to have kids and like to play legos with my niece.“You’re a very childish adult”, “you don’t want to grow up” well fuck her, you know what she likes? doomscrolling tiktok, following “influencers” and complaining about her kids. I’m VERY happy being who I am and going to keep ignoring her stupid ass
Now that I think about it, I think I actually dated someone like that.
I have an uncle in his 40s, no wife or kids, just buys the newest games and locks himself in his room. Nothing wrong with doing what makes you happy.
Children’s toys like games are limited in their function and scope. I don’t think that makes playing with them sad ever but it can be more rewarding to make things with less constraints some times.
I feel like Ive been playing less games now that games turned to hobbies turn to a career in which I can try to solve complex problems in more creative ways.
I still play with blocks, little puzzles, games, etc though, so again a hard cut off doesn’t really make sense to me.
Turns out that if you do your work and pay your taxes you get to decide what to do with your money and time.
Accept that people may not like the things you do. You can always find someone enthusiastic about the same things you are online.
When you either have no personality outside of liking childrens toys, or you find yourself rushing into a store and elbowing people, potentially children, out of the way, so that you can get the toy first.
Ooh no. Im embarrassed just looking at the hotwheels in a store, lol
Never.
I’m 48 and this is only a small part of my home office.
Being an adult lets me make adult money and spend it how I see fit. Always wanted a Lego Star Wars collection. Now I just need better displays.
The most well adjusted people I know stay in love with something/things from their childhood. Also, revisiting childhood experiences is a popular therapy exercise for recovering from mental trauma.
Lego and old console gaming are two very common things to be interested in as an adult :) If you have a genuine connection to something, don’t force yourself to sever it.
It’s not sad, it is infantalizing, whether that’s “good or bad…”
https://theconversation.com/the-infantilization-of-western-culture-99556
As to spectating sports (rather the participation) :)
Visiting America in 1946, French anthropologist Claude Lévi-Strauss commented on the endearingly infantile traits of American culture. He especially noted adults’ childish adulation of baseball, their passionate approach to toy-like cars and the amount of time they invested in hobbies.
It’s sad when you cry while playing with them. Unless the story you came up with while playing was just so good it brought a tear to your eye.
I say anything that fuels creativity is a good hobby to have. Legos can build lots of things especially if you have a engineering mind.
Atari games I’m sure are fun, but I’m also sure they spark some kind of imagery in your mind that if applied elsewhere (ie art) could be seen as creative. Or you know… Just fun.
Where i draw the line: you’re 30+ yrs old, and no kids but your favorite show is Bluey… 😒
Not always a winner for takes, but this quote by C.S Lewis I’ve always found helpful
When I became a man I put away childish things, including the fear of childishness and the desire to be very grown up. - C.S. Lewis
Don’t listen to them and do your own thing.
My household is full of Legos, plushies, little cute collectibles, consoles, board games… And there’s no children. People should enjoy whatever they want to enjoy, no matter the age or gender or whatever.
We only judge people who don’t understand how serious we take playing “Make believe”.
I want to add that I am in this category as well. I play for kittycat gashapon at Red Robin. I bought Lidl advent calendars for me and the hubby. We look forward to getting stickers from the elementary teacher who moonlights as a trivia host at the pub each week. And I’m half a century old. IDGAF what other people think. I never hid these sorts of things from my coworkers, and they accepted it’s just who I am. They also know me as an empathetic, level-headed, practical voice of reason if the situation calls for it. Two things can be true!
I’m a dudely guy. I love my smoker (where do you live that they’re doing it that often? Even here in Texas it’s a niche hobby 99% of the time). I work on and ride motorcycles. Woodworking. Hog hunting, but that’s mostly to keep wild hogs from tearing up land of people I know. I love camping. Music production. So I’d be considered pretty normal, minus the sports, if someone were to know my hobbies.
But also I’ve got some plushies in my home studio. I like them, they make me smile. I’ve got a bunch of retro games on modern equipment. I read a lot of fantasy and that includes a healthy dose YA fantasy. In addition to tabletop games that a lot of folks play I have an entire shelf dedicated to kids board games that I play.
I don’t have kids. Never will. I’m the crazy uncle to everyone else’s kids and we have a great time when they’re over. And if anyone doesn’t like my childish hobbies they can go fuck themselves.
Liking kids stuff isn’t sad at all. Ever. If you aren’t harming others and you’re having a good time then anyone who gives a shit has stepped way the fuck out of their lane. If you met the most amazing person tomorrow and wanted them to be your partner and they found out about your hobbies and made fun of them, even if they were perfect in every other way, that’s not the right person for you.
Now I’m not personally a Lego person. I don’t have the concentration for it. But if I found out you were my neighbor I’d 100% offer to smoke a brisket or whatever you eat and supply some beer if you’d bring over the Atari for some Combat or have an extra RC car that we can race. That sounds like an incredible way to spend a Saturday if I’m not headed out of town.
Hell yeah, fantasy. I just finished reading all of the Discworld books in chronological order. I didn’t think I would like it jumping between characters, but it was actually refreshing taking a break from themes and characters.
Yeah, I’m the wrong person to ask. I’m 43, have a massive Lego collection, and play games in my spare time (what the kids leave for my wife and I).
(Edit) You should Google “AFOL” groups - Adult Fans Of Lego are all over the place. And even if you don’t end up joining any, they have some impressive builds!
Also look up “lego moc” (My Own Creation) for homebrew Lego creations.
Some nice sites for Lego collectors and builders:
Bricklink
Rebrickable
Brick Fanatics
