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Books. i read constantly. The family story my parents tell is that i "taught myself to read" at age 4. she said i just picked up a book and started reading it. my mom didn't believe in sending us to preschool or kindergarten. Later on in grade school, I remember my mom taking me to the library regularly and me walking out to the car holding a tall tall stack of books all the way up to my chin. Kids at school would tease me.
"Finding a secret passage." for some reason i went on about this for years, going into closets, tapping on the walls and baseboards. which is pretty funny because we lived in a new house that was small, hardly the stuff of secret passages. nevertheless this was something i was sure i would find.
"Finding crystals loose on the ground." This was a biggie. I dreamed about this for decades actually, but most vivid when i was a kid. i would walk around outside and there were beautiful crystals on the ground for me to pick up. I was so happy and could not only see them but could also pick them up and feel them in my hand and it was so vivid so real. This was a recurring dream over and over. I remember once, i was determined in the dream to bring a crystal back with me, because of course every time i woke up and was so disappointed to find it was not real but just a dream. So I clutched it tightly and could feel it in my hand, could feel it there my fist holding it tightly. As soon as i woke up yes there was my hand in a fist and i opened my hand and was so sad it was empty. those dreams were so vivid.
Looking back now, what is strange is that i don't recall when i was small ever even seeing actual crystals in real life. nobody i knew "collected rocks" there was mica in the back yard but those did not look like at all like the faceted crystals in my dreams. we had fun peeling the layers apart but it felt nothing like crystals. I did end up in real life finally being able to get my own crystals and yes i do love them. And i still occasionally have that dream, where i am walking out doors and get so excited to find crystals I can pick up.
this is a really good thread topic, whoever thought it up, great idea.
oh, and birds also. i remember spending a lot of time in the woods near our house, and there was one tree i would climb and sit on a branch for long periods of time. It was the best climbing tree. there was a bird feeder near by and i could see the birds from where i was sitting in the tree. i loved it. I remember trying to sit as still as possible and watching the birds which felt very very close. I remember a neighbor lady at one point who I did not even know very well, gave me a bird book "because you sit in the tree and watch the birds." i would pore over that book for hours and look at all the different birds in it and study the pictures. i got my mom to buy birdseed and i put it on the windowsill of my bedroom and then i would sit very still with my chin on the sill and birds on the other side of the glass just inches from my face and i thought that was the coolest thing. The brick windowsill the birds perched on was very narrow, i remember the mourning doves kept trying to land on it and it was too narrow for them. So the smaller birds would be on the sill, and the doves down on the ground instead pecking at the seed that fell on the ground.
i still love birds. today i was walking around where i live (i am 65 now) and right by the sidewalk was a great grey heron. It was wonderful to see. I stood still and watched it for a long time. The heron was also standing very still, watching the water, waiting for fish. It was so tall! at one point it stretched it's neck to full height, and it must have stood at close to 4 feet tall. wow.
Last edited by Tzaphkiel; 05-03-2024 at 11:27 PM..
Mine was animals. I wanted every one of them as a pet.
They used to advertise “exotic” animals sold as pets in the back of some magazines. I remember wanting to order a baby woodchuck. I thought my parents ordered one for me. They may have told me they did to shut me up, lol. I waited daily for months for the mail truck or delivery service (UPS, I guess) to bring that baby to me!
Sadly for me, it never came.
I wanted to be a veterinarian when I grew up.
OMG this is hilarious !!!! not only (a) ads in the magazine to buy a baby woodchuck; but also (b) waiting for the baby woodchuck to arrive in the mail !!! that is so funny!
I don't think I obsessed about anything but I did love my stuffed animals. One time my aunt gave e a bunch of her old ones and I combined them with mine into a huge stuffed animal family on top of my bed. Was pretty upset when my mother pointed out that I would have to take them all off so that I could get into bed. I thought about cats a lot too and was extremely upset when my parents gave the mother and kittens away, just keeping one.
my stuffed animals and dolls were dear to me. i remember tucking them in at night telling them everything will be OK. Looking back i was a very resourceful little kid because that was a great way of self-soothing. Because (also looking back) it was a very chaotic household to grow up in, not a safe place for a small person. i remember my dad and brother saying mean things at the dinner table about one of my favorite dolls to make me cry. And i would say indignantly not to hurt her feelings. Then they would laugh and say its just a doll.
then when i had my own kids, i thought it was the sweetest thing in the world, one of my 3 boys has the most tender heart, and he too would take good care of his stuffed animals. once he went to a friend's house to play, and then he called on the phone after a bit and was worried and i said what's wrong and he said he couldn't remember if he had tucked Bunny (a favorite) under the covers and he was worried Bunny might get cold and could i go check and tuck Bunny in. I just love that. I told him yes i would check and make sure Bunny was tucked in. ANd i did. After he got out of bed in the morning, he would line up his critters on the pillow, and tuck them in. what a sweet kid.
Books. i read constantly. The family story my parents tell is that i "taught myself to read" at age 4. she said i just picked up a book and started reading it. my mom didn't believe in sending us to preschool or kindergarten. Later on in grade school, I remember my mom taking me to the library regularly and me walking out to the car holding a tall tall stack of books all the way up to my chin. Kids at school would tease me.
"Finding a secret passage." for some reason i went on about this for years, going into closets, tapping on the walls and baseboards. which is pretty funny because we lived in a new house that was small, hardly the stuff of secret passages. nevertheless this was something i was sure i would find.
"Finding crystals loose on the ground." This was a biggie. I dreamed about this for decades actually, but most vivid when i was a kid. i would walk around outside and there were beautiful crystals on the ground for me to pick up. I was so happy and could not only see them but could also pick them up and feel them in my hand and it was so vivid so real. This was a recurring dream over and over. I remember once, i was determined in the dream to bring a crystal back with me, because of course every time i woke up and was so disappointed to find it was not real but just a dream. So I clutched it tightly and could feel it in my hand, could feel it there my fist holding it tightly. As soon as i woke up yes there was my hand in a fist and i opened my hand and was so sad it was empty. those dreams were so vivid.
Looking back now, what is strange is that i don't recall when i was small ever even seeing actual crystals in real life. nobody i knew "collected rocks" there was mica in the back yard but those did not look like at all like the faceted crystals in my dreams. we had fun peeling the layers apart but it felt nothing like crystals. I did end up in real life finally being able to get my own crystals and yes i do love them. And i still occasionally have that dream, where i am walking out doors and get so excited to find crystals I can pick up.
this is a really good thread topic, whoever thought it up, great idea.
oh, and birds also. i remember spending a lot of time in the woods near our house, and there was one tree i would climb and sit on a branch for long periods of time. It was the best climbing tree. there was a bird feeder near by and i could see the birds from where i was sitting in the tree. i loved it. I remember trying to sit as still as possible and watching the birds which felt very very close. I remember a neighbor lady at one point who I did not even know very well, gave me a bird book "because you sit in the tree and watch the birds." i would pore over that book for hours and look at all the different birds in it and study the pictures. i got my mom to buy birdseed and i put it on the windowsill of my bedroom and then i would sit very still with my chin on the sill and birds on the other side of the glass just inches from my face and i thought that was the coolest thing. The brick windowsill the birds perched on was very narrow, i remember the mourning doves kept trying to land on it and it was too narrow for them. So the smaller birds would be on the sill, and the doves down on the ground instead pecking at the seed that fell on the ground.
i still love birds. today i was walking around where i live (i am 65 now) and right by the sidewalk was a great grey heron. It was wonderful to see. I stood still and watched it for a long time. The heron was also standing very still, watching the water, waiting for fish. It was so tall! at one point it stretched it's neck to full height, and it must have stood at close to 4 feet tall. wow.
Very nice read, thank you for sharing. Loved your idea of putting bird seed on your window sill.....clever!
By definition, I don’t agree all children ‘obsess’ or are troubled by intrusive and repetitive thoughts; interests, passions or even fears do not (necessarily) equate to such. That said, I loved baseball as a kid; when I wasn’t playing, though, I didn’t keep thinking/obsessing about it. In fact, I think most kids have a short attention span. ;-)
Right. Maybe "captivated" or "passionate" is a more appropriate word here?
For me, I spent a lot of time outdoors playing basketball from 5th grade on.
I also was unusually interested in memorizing the heights of mountains, lengths of battleships and other trivial pursuits.
I believe all Children at one time in their lives obsess about something...
Quote:
Originally Posted by CorporateCowboy
By definition, I don’t agree all children ‘obsess’ or are troubled by intrusive and repetitive thoughts; interests, passions or even fears do not (necessarily) equate to such. That said, I loved baseball as a kid; when I wasn’t playing, though, I didn’t keep thinking/obsessing about it. In fact, I think most kids have a short attention span. ;-)
Quote:
Originally Posted by Arktikos
Right. Maybe "captivated" or "passionate" is a more appropriate word here?
Exactly, there’s a difference between (a positive) interest/enjoyment of an activity vs. obsession, particularly relative to a psychology forum.
Quote:
Originally Posted by Arktikos
For me, I spent a lot of time outdoors playing basketball from 5th grade on.
Me too, although I started playing it (and baseball) at a younger age; sports were a fun way to spend a lot of my time i.e. childhood play (as opposed to an obsession). That said, they (especially baseball) had a tremendously positive impact on my life.
Quote:
Originally Posted by Arktikos
I also was unusually interested in memorizing the heights of mountains, lengths of battleships and other trivial pursuits.
Obsessive, compulsive or rote behavior, however, could be indicative of a problem. In other words, psychologically-speaking, the question is what benefit/enjoyment does the activity/thought provide and how does it affect one’s life.
Right. Maybe "captivated" or "passionate" is a more appropriate word here?
For me, I spent a lot of time outdoors playing basketball from 5th grade on.
I also was unusually interested in memorizing the heights of mountains, lengths of battleships and other trivial pursuits.
i love this!
it reminds me of my brother who as a kid read the encyclopedia for fun (literally) and memorized capital of not only all states in USA, but also capitals of all countries in the world, and names of all countries in the world.
and i agree "obsessed" is not the word, i like the choices you've put forth, and i am happy that people are answering the question and sharing from that point of view. Thanks Ark!
I got hooked on the forecasts and weather radar since the last tornado we had here years back. I won't go anywhere when one is forecasted.
A couple of weeks ago I was watching the weather radar on the news because there were multiple tornado warnings every where. Then it started raining real heavy with hail coming down and I lost power. The tornado siren started and I was about to head for the basement. As soon as the siren stopped I heard a tune, I thought " WTF, did they add this to the siren ?"
I looked out the window and saw the ice cream truck flying down the street. I bet he didn't make a dime that day.
When I was quite young, I obsessed about insects. Read about them, found them in the yard, just couldn't get enough. To this day I can identify most insects, and I certainly know the "bad actors" who will eat up your garden.
And dinosaurs. I remember a Calvin and Hobbs cartoon where the family is heading into the dinosaur exhibit in a museum, and Calvin is telling his parents "Try not to embarrass me in here, OK?" That was me at about 8 or 9.
Rockets in general, and the Space Program in particular.
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