"All children, except one, grow up." -J.M. Barrie, Peter Pan
When did you first find yourself conforming to society's ideals of adulthood? When did you stop seeing the floor as lava and believing you could fly? When did you stop seeing another world around you? Was there a particular age where you stopped being as imaginative as you once were, or was it gradual? Why do you think it happened? As a writer, how do you tap back into that place of childlike imagination to create a world on paper?
I would have to say I have not stop see another world around me quite yet just because I feel like you should have some freedom to be yourself for sometime before you start have to grow up and start to become an adult. Also just because you may act like an adult does not always mean there is not another type of world that around you that you may see but other may not see. Also I would have to say it a gradual change for me because I still see another world around me and their part are me that are like it time to let that go but the other part like you should have fun while you can. The one way that I truly tap into my childhood still is I still enjoy going outside and play sometype of game at a park that you typically see little kids play but I truly enjoy it so that how I tap into my childhood.
ReplyDeleteI believe I haven't stopped. I still live and see with imagination and believe in all of the impossible childhood things i once loved. I still can be mature too, but when it comes to writing this whole era of imagination comes to me and its just the greatest feeling to know exactly what you want to write because you can already imagine excitement within your words.
ReplyDeleteI feel like I began conforming to societies ideas in 5th or 6th grade. In the words of John Greene I fell slowly and then all at once. Now that does not mean I have lost my love of childish things. Board games, trick-or-treating, crocs, terrible jokes that bring tears to your eyes, disney, coloring books. I adore having fun and letting go. On paper I can do just that without seeming immature. The child in me is still awake. Easy to communicate with. Every day I look up and see dinosours in the clouds and when I look down I see sharks in the puddles. Writing allows me to express myself as both going and old. There is a switch allowing me to incorporate the innocence of my past with the seasoned view I now have in my writing.
ReplyDeleteI believe I completely left my childhood behind in high school. I say this because, before high school I used to be very outgoing and did whatever I felt, but once I hit high school I kind of told myself "okay, this is real." I needed to be serious because my actions in high school would greatly affect my life later on. After you realize that everything you do has a consequence, you start thinking more about your actions and if they really need to be done or not, and that is all a part of growing up. When I write, however, I can make it as real or as made up as I want to, and that's lovely. I can act as if I am still a child in some pieces, and that makes growing up not seem so bad.
ReplyDeleteI think I gradually entered into the more mature and independent world I live in today. It was a combination of the environment around me changing and more responsibilities falling on my shoulders. Also, I've become aware of all the evil in the world and how things will never work out the way they should. Even with this, however, I'd like to believe I still have a bit of my childhood in myself. My brain still runs wild with creative thoughts and new ideas. I'm honestly scared that one day when I'm living on my own and paying taxes that I'll be one of those hard adults who can never have fun (though I doubt this would happen to me).
ReplyDeleteAs far as tapping into my childhood for my writing, I don't think I do. Unless I'm writing in the point of view as a child, I prefer to write in a more mature way while still keeping my creativity. It's not like you have to be a child to be creative.
I conformed to adulthood when my little brother was born. My older brother was not entirely willing to help my little brother grow up and be creative, so I took the roll of "older sibling" while my parents worked. It was an easy change at first, but as I realized how quickly my childhood had reached its end, I desperately tried to grasp the feeling again, which is probably why I'm so loud and jumpy.
ReplyDeleteI conformed to adulthood when my little brother was born. My older brother was not entirely willing to help my little brother grow up and be creative, so I took the roll of "older sibling" while my parents worked. It was an easy change at first, but as I realized how quickly my childhood had reached its end, I desperately tried to grasp the feeling again, which is probably why I'm so loud and jumpy.
ReplyDeleteI don't think I have ever stopped seeing another world or seeing the floor as lava that state of wonder in my case has never left me. I have never said oh no I don't want to do that because I'm considered an adult. To be honest if it was not for my grandfather I may have conformed to that type. The man was as excited as I was when we went back to Disney world last year. We both are by the rules of society "adults" but if you want to be like that that is your choice. I know with age I have become more mature but I have never ever said nope I don't want to have a happily ever after. So but this does bring up a question why does society want us to lose touch with ourselves? With our once amazing state of wonder
ReplyDeleteI absolutely adore this Will. Mostly because grandfathers are my favorite thing ever. And because it shows that if you let go of what people think about you, you never have to conform to the rigid standards they have fit into.
DeleteI think that no matter what your age is, there will always be that child in you that has to come out. Just looking back now at my childhood and all the things I had and didn't have, I feel old, and I haven't even graduated high school yet! At moments here or there we've been in situations where you really wanted to do something childish, but didn't do because our maturity stopped us. I feel that sometimes we need to be innocent and goofy and never let go of our childish selves.
ReplyDeleteFor me I started to grow up at a very young age. My parents divorce hit me hard and made me face the first truth of the world. To be honest I didn't touch my inner child for a while. Until this past summer when I met some amazing people who showed me what it is like to be innocent and think like a child and act like a child again.
ReplyDeleteI feel as if I haven't conformed to society's definition of "adulthood". I still observe the little things around me. When I was 10 I had to grow up a little bit to learn how to take care of myself. For example, measuring out my food, taking my blood sugar before I eat anything, giving myself insulin, etc....
ReplyDeleteThe child in me went away a while ago. I found myself leaving my childhood behind when I entered junior high and was forced out of my comfort zone. I didn’t necessarily see two worlds. I saw one world, a fantasy world. But being out of my comfort zone lead me to see the real world which made me grow up a ton. As for being imaginative, that hasn't changed at all. I still love letting my imagination run wild.
ReplyDeleteI'm still a child at heart and I believe no matter what the age is, you will always have that child in you unless you decide to give up on it. I know being in highschool it kind of forces you to be mature and on top of things but it doesn't force you to throw away your imagination and the way you see things. I believe it's up to you to decide what to do with that child in you.
ReplyDeleteI'm still a child at heart and I believe no matter what the age is, you will always have that child in you unless you decide to give up on it. I know being in highschool it kind of forces you to be mature and on top of things but it doesn't force you to throw away your imagination and the way you see things. I believe it's up to you to decide what to do with that child in you.
ReplyDeleteI don't think anyone ever really conforms into society's idealistic version of "adulthood." I feel as if there's just a time in your life when you need to start taking on more responsibilities (sometimes sooner for some people than most). But you never really lose the part of you that likes to play and have fun, it just becomes a different game.
ReplyDeleteI don't think anyone ever really conforms into society's idealistic version of "adulthood." I feel as if there's just a time in your life when you need to start taking on more responsibilities (sometimes sooner for some people than most). But you never really lose the part of you that likes to play and have fun, it just becomes a different game.
ReplyDeleteI remember in second grade when I was made fun of for having an imaginary friend. It was the first time I ever questioned the magic of the world. In fifth grade many of my classmates stopped believing in Santa, and by freshman year even my faith was thoroughly rattled. But I still believe--and I cling to my belief in magic with every once of strength I have. I still believe, quite firmly, in fairies, as well as such creatures as the Loch Ness monster, dragons, and the tree demon that lives in the forest behind my house. Magic exists in this world--it's not about being "childish" or not; it's about listening to what you feel rather than what you're taught.
ReplyDeleteI honestly try to not lose my imaginative nature. I love to play those silly games we all used to play as children with some of my old friends. There is ALWAYS magic to be found in the world. You just need to believe its there. You can still believe in the magic of this world and not be a childish buffoon. You can take on the responsibilities of adulthood while retaining the magic of childhood. And come on....Youre NEVER too old for the floor being lava. This time you just have to pay for whatever you break from jumping on it!
ReplyDeleteI agree to this 110% your never EVER too old to stop thinking about these fun imaginative things. Maybe put them on pause at times but never say goodbye to your imagination.
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ReplyDeleteIt's hard to say when I stopped conforming to childish thoughts, but I do know that it happened quickly. The thing about children is that they are very Naïve and this is because they have not gained the knowledge of the world. Those of us who are more naïve still live in that childish mind set. We have not branched out and seen the world for how it is. As you grow older, you gain more knowledge about people and how they are and who you are. You become less naïve and see the world for how it is. And yes, that does mean that the floor is no longer lava, but it also means you do have a better understanding for how everything really is.
ReplyDeleteIt's difficult trying to remember when I stopped conforming to societies idea of adulthood. It just sort of happened. I began to listen to what people had to say, and some of their ideas just stuck.
ReplyDeleteI feel as if I'm currently trying to conform into "adulthood." At this age we're told to pick out colleges, choose a career path, and just simply act like adults. This drowns out our childish thoughts, which in adulthood are something that you are scolded for having. As a writer, you need to dig deeper into your past to find those childish thoughts and feelings. You need to trigger something nostalgic within you to find the key to those thoughts.
ReplyDeleteI feel as if I'm currently trying to conform into "adulthood." At this age we're told to pick out colleges, choose a career path, and just simply act like adults. This drowns out our childish thoughts, which in adulthood are something that you are scolded for having. As a writer, you need to dig deeper into your past to find those childish thoughts and feelings. You need to trigger something nostalgic within you to find the key to those thoughts.
ReplyDeleteThat is exactly how I feel, Evie. As a senior going into college within the next 9 months I feel like I'm being suffocated by the adult world. I find myself latching onto what's left of my childhood by living vicariously through my seven year old sister. I love listening to the way her mind works and how her imagination runs wild.
DeleteI don't think there was a specific time where I started conforming to societies adulthood. For me it all happened gradually and is still happening as I go through highschool. The more I learned about the world through school the more I was forced to accept that the things I believed in as a child, like Santa or the Easter bunny, weren't real. As a writer I feel free to go back to all of the things I believed in and embellish in them once again through my writing.
ReplyDeleteI feel different when it comes to this because this other world has still not left me yet and I don't think it ever will; however, there are moments that it has left and reality welcomes me. Especially now that that I'm in huh school as an upperclassmen, I have to start thinking about my life that waits ahead of me. But I'm still a kid at heart that will never give up her creative imagination just turn it off at times.
ReplyDeleteI think now, as I'm getting older, the child in me has more of an on/off switch. I, for the most part, can tell when it's time to be serious, and calm down and get work done. But yet, if you offered me the chance to go play on the swings, I can tell you right now, I will not be the "rotten egg". I don't think I ever really completely loose the magic, I hope I never do.
ReplyDeleteI have been starting to conform into societies adulthood. Its amazing how easy we had it when we were younger. Less stress, less responsibility, and less drama. But we all grow up at some point in our life some happen sooner then others and some take more time. But I don't think I'll ever stop being the little kid I am inside for a long time.
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