Childlike in Nature?

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I too have been judged as very immature for my age. However, I neither view it as a disability nor a negative thing. It is just me. Personally I think that watching college basketball games on television, like a lot of people are doing now, is immature. Vicariously living one's life through celebrities seen on daytime and nighttime talk shows seems immature to me too. Normality is a social construction.

LG

My verbal IQ will always be 131. The way I manage my life is at about IQ 70. That's the difference.

But again, as long as you've got my facts straight, it's ok if we disagree.

I tend to be very childlike in my interests. I typically watch cartoons play video games and I still like plushies. But as far I am concerned those are better than drinking or smoking. Or some other "adult" interest that could be worse for someone's health. Personally I don't think there is anything wrong with being childlike as long the person isn't childish. All though this just a matter of prospective.

I think that there is a certain point where children become self aware and self conscious of their inhibition of imagination, and desire to grow more mature.

"When I was a child, I spoke like a child, thought like a child, and reasoned like a child. When I became a man, I gave up my childish ways." as the bible says.

this moment tends to be what i call the 'Only babies do that.' moment.

I was a very imaginative child. I would dream up all sorts of vivid scenarios and characters, most of whom have now, alas, faded back into obscurity.

But I never really had that moment of self consciousness, or if I did, my creative inhibition resurfaced afterward.

In fact, for a while I went into the opposite direction.

when I was 10, A tragic, world changing event occurred for me. Afterwoods, in a state of shock, I went backward, into even deeper escapism.

I remeber, very clearly, the day after the terrible event. I was let off of school for a day, and my friends came round and dropped off some toys as a condolence.

I remember, as soon as I got the toys, I felt dead inside. not a nice feeling when you're ten, but it's a feeling that has persisted for over twelve years now.
Anyway, to fill this sudden void, I began immeadiatly playing with the toys, focusing, intently, almost furiously, on the make believe. Anything to get away from the horrific nature of what happened to me.

After that, I immersed myself in books, movies, videogames, anything creative and escapist.

time has passed, as has the horror of the event in question, but the emptiness still remains.

When I was 14, after another series of painful events, I began writing. I found that pouring out all that excess emotion was calming, like a baby's safety blanket.

My councellor once said she believes that I had not managed to develop beyond childhood in some psychological senses, and overcompensated with others.

I'm still writing, and will probably continue to do so till I gain the sweet release of oblivion, a final lasting escape from the gnawing pain in my soul, and I'll be able to see my mother again. Until then, all I can do is wait and write.

I'm also very 'young for my age' but when I look at the lives of NT's of comparable age, I'm not jealous because I'm really starting to learn to accept myself for who I am rather than who I am not.

Although my childhood may have left quite some time ago, I sometimes still get that "when are you ever going to grow up?" question.

I'm still very childish. I have stuffed animals and watch cartoons. With that given formula I am between 4-8.

I'm definnitly immature and child-like, I love going to toys r us and playing with the toddler toys . The strange thing is though, when I was little I prefered to be around adults now I'm nearly becoming adult I'd rather hang around kids.

That makes sense to me. And, to a lesser extent, it could be true for a lot of people, with less specific issues that you can't pin down. Also, some of what you call "escapism" could be unconsciously working things out in a safe environment. I wouldn't knock it if it's not bothering anyone.

I did that a lot. Friends who were significantly older or younger or of a very different culture.

whoops. i forgot to mention....
Not only am i childlike...i am unabashedly childish as well.

it works for me.
If it isn't broken, why fix it?

I think we got that part.
Don't ever fix it.

There's something that happens to me quite a lot and I've got no explanation for it. I don't look particularly young for my age, but young children are frequently delighted with me. It happens when I'd prefer to be invisible out in public. I'll be doing my thing and then notice out of the corner of my eye that someone is staring at me. It's invariably a young child with a huge grin on his or her face doing their best to get my attention. So I smile. Often that isn't enough. Their mother will push them in the opposite direction or pull them along and the child will crane their neck around and make sure they get my attention once more. Sometimes it is even annoying. I may stick my tongue out and glare..they really love that and often it makes them laugh. Sometimes they even start doing a little happy dance and making happy noises.. This behavior rarely meets with the approval of their mothers who'd obviously prefer their children didn't flirt with weird strangers.

I've considered that young children do this with many people. However, I've tried to be observant. The same child who was trying to exhibit this playful behavior may be totally morose a few minutes later....that is, until they see me again...And then all of a sudden huge, huge grin and it starts all over.

I'd like to know what they're getting from me that is so fascinating. Because whatever it is, adults detest it.

I think I sort-of know what you mean. I feel a vague connection that I can't put in words. When I saw your post, I immediately thought of Show White with the little birdies, and other fictional characters who could charm the critters out of the trees. It's a magical, non-threatening thing.

Mary Poppins: A Spoonful Of Sugar
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=i5IW9wK_HNg

Dogs tend to like me, too. My sister's dog used to get so excited that she had to leak whenever she saw me. I would say things like, "Yes, you are the most wonderful, the center of the universe," while my sister looked on in disapproval and said things like, "She THINKS she's the center of the universe."

I don't recognize the hierarchy. When I see a child, I see a person. I don't demand the subservient posture. When I hear nonsense like "respect your elders," I hear fascism, and an excuse for big people to abuse little people.

Am I close to what you're talking about?

Yes and no.

I'm childlike in some things, advanced in some others and have never been remotely similar to normal people in yet some other things.

In a comparison I prefer to say I'm time-less, because I develop and am by different standards than what is normal and thus I cannot be measured by such.

Yes you are.
I'm not real good with dogs, being a cat person. But some dogs I'm very attracted to. Such was the situation with the dog of a friend of mine. He told me--when she sees you she pees herself. Not knowing the first thing about dogs, I was ashamed to have caused such behavior. Then he sweetly and patiently explained---it is a good thing, she likes you very very much. oh well.

I was thinking about my post and decided that both children and adults are laughing at me. There's something amusing about the way I dress, move, present myself. Children love it and adults hate it. Children are intrigued, even thrilled and adults are moved to ridicule, mockery, insults and rejection.

So I retrieved this scripture online: [my Christian roots run deep]

Matthew 18:2-4
"And Jesus called a little child unto him, and set him in the midst of them. And he said, Verily I say unto you, Except ye be converted, and become as little children, ye shall not enter into the kingdom of heaven. Whosoever therefore shall humble himself as this little child, the same is greatest in the kingdom of heaven."

For what it is worth, I agree with tahitii! I have often been told that I act very mature, and I always liked the company of adults better.

Don't get me wrong, I STILL feel like a kid, but I was never that interested in cartoons. Though I now don't avoid them, I much prefer house, monk, etc.... I cant see the appeal of spongebob/squarepants. ALSO, some will look at my preferences, etc... and think THAT is childish, but I could say the same about them. This may ESPECIALLY seem bad NOW, as I have adopted an even stranger diet. I at least have yet ANOTHER reason not to go to parties.

I certainly wouldn't mind being 15 again. I would do things VERY differently. I think I could still understand everything I did, and was interested in, and appreciate it. As a baby, when I liked boxes(as many babies do), some adults may think it is cute, but not understand it, so look at it from the babies point of view. Even my toys were on the more mature side, with erector sets, technic, or even show and tell(almost like a portable VCR playing stories and educational things at a time when tvs were VERY expensive, and consumer VCRs didn't exist).

As for what tahitii said:



AGAIN, I feel the SAME way! Age means NOTHING! I ALWAYS said that, and may always say that. I am older than most of the people here, so don't accuse me of envy, or anything of the sort. Some KIDS are REMARKABLY mature! AND, LET'S FACE IT!! !! !! If older people were always mature, we wouldn't have jails or wars! So that should be enough to hermetically seal any dispute into a coffin, and coat it in a thick titanium shell!

HECK, some have said that a child gains 90% of its mental potential by age 10! SOME say that a person loses 1% of their potential per year after 18! If both of those were correct, then a 10 year old has the potential of about a 28 year old! How is THAT for a scary thought? Of course, NOW they say the 1% loss starts around 35, so a 10 year old would be about the level of a 45 year old.

Of course, this IS merely potential. A 45 year old has more of an opportunity to use that potential, but probably nobody has ever done that 100%. THAT is really the average difference between someone with an IQ of 150 and an IQ of 100. The one with the higher IQ just used more of their potential for their age. In any event, maturity, or general intelligence, doesn't require you to be a genius.