Is it OK to want a balloon at a fair when you're 14?

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I remember when I was 14 I went to this small fair with only a few small rides but quite a lot of stalls and things going on in big tents, etc. I was with my mum, my mum's sister and three of my cousins who were a few years younger than me. But as soon as I got there I saw a stall selling those really big balloons, and I wanted one. My mum got annoyed with me, and got out her purse to get some money out to buy me one. When her sister asked where we were going, my mum said, ''Jo wants a little kiddie's balloon!'' and took me to get me a balloon because I didn't like queuing up and buying something on my own. On our way to the balloon stall, my mum seemed rather angry with me, and said ''why do you need a balloon for???'' I won't tell you what I said to that as it's so stupid and embarrassing, but it was something to do with my special interest I had at the time. Then my mum said, ''oh how can you pretend a balloon is that?'' - then she shook her head and said, ''you know, you worry me!'' I felt rather ashamed all of a sudden, but didn't want to give in. I seemed so hellbent on getting this balloon. But after we brought it, my mum seemed in a better mood.

Was I babyish? You can be blunt (but not nasty) in your answers, because I feel annoyed at myself, thinking back. Would you criticise your teenage child if he/she wanted to buy a balloon at a fair? Would you have wanted a balloon at a fair when you was a teenager?

It's perfectly fine to want a balloon at a fair at any age. Balloons are awesome. I really like the ones on the elastic band that you can punch.

It's OK to want a balloon at any age.

I took a balloon off a shop display the other day and hit my 23 yr old daughter on the head with it.

It sounds socially appropriate then. So why would my mum be so angry and embarrassed about me getting a balloon at 14? (No badmouthing my mum).

I see no problem with wanting a balloon at any age. Maybe she was herself a bit overwhelmed with shepherding the Group.

There's nothing wrong with a teen or an adult wanting a balloon. Besides, balloons aren't safe for babies and small children. They could choke on them after the balloon pops since they put everything in their mouths or get strangled by the string. And yet people see them as being only for babies, I don't get it.

Last summer my parents took me to the farmer's exhibition where there are rides and animals and games, and I won a really big inflatable pink dolphin. I still have it.

My mum still likes to let me know I embarrass her.

Maybe your mum had my mum's mindset that virtually everything I did was an embarrassment.

Your mum should've looked after you that day; kept you safe. Rather than shame you in a way that still hurts ten yrs later.

That made me giggle!

And I agree. It's okay to want a balloon at a fair at any age.

It's OK with me, because I think all harmless things are OK. A balloon isn't usually dangerous in the hands of an older person.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Harm_principle
But I'm sad to say that there are still many people out there who don't use the "harm principle" to assess whether or not a thing is OK. Some of those people might not think it's OK. The only remaining questions I can see would be, are any of those people likely to try to harm you for doing the think they don't like, and if so, are they strong enough to be able to?

I'd say it's fine; I still like balloons, especially the big ones. A lot of them in one space make me nervous because I'm afraid one is going to pop unexpectedly, but individual ones are fun. I wouldn't get mad if my adolescent decided they wanted one; I'd probably be relieved that they hadn't "grown up" enough to start being interested in causing mayhem!

Joe, your story reminds me of my wanting to get training wheels put back on my BMX bike when I was 16 after crushing a hand tendon in a spill. I'll be 53 next month and I'm really hoping to see some of those big foil balloons at my party, which usually happens as I'm allergic to flowers. I prefer the non-latex type of balloons as they don't loudly "pop" if poked. The last one I got for my birfday was "Angry Bird" styled. IMO, no age is too old for stuff like that, especially for those with ASD issues. I think next time you go to a fair, you should treat yourself to a balloon, after the emotional event you described, you certainly deserve it. Infact, next time I go, I might get myself one and tie it around my wrist, as it might draw attention from the binky in my mouth.

"Up, up and away!"

Balloons are not ok at any age because I hate the sound they make when they burst.

But liking them at 14 is no worse than liking them as a kid.

Some (or maybe many?) people worry a lot about social norms. Being age-appropriate, gender-appropriate etc is very important to them. So it's not surprising to hear a story like that. And I'm sure there are many people who would laugh at those that deviate from social norms. Even those people that claim not to care about social norms often actually do care.

I don't know if a 14-year-old person would be considered too old for a balloon by such people. Maybe it would.

I personally don't like the unnecessary restrictions imposed on us by the idea of age-/gender-appropriateness. It is absolutely fine to want a balloon or a moth caterpillar at age 14 or 30 or 90.

Talking as a mum, if one of my kids asked for a balloon and their 3 cousins were there, I'd feel that if I bought one for my kid, I should buy one for each of the cousins too. Maybe your mum felt the same and was embarrassed because it would cost more than she had budgeted for.

Even if it annoys your Mom. it's still ok. And it isn't actually outside the age norm.



making a balloon chair-some men love doing this

It's not significantly been bothering me for the last 10+ years, but the other day something reminded me of this incident and I just wanted to share it on WP and see what others here thought.

When I was 14, I was expected to behave like an adult - even though I had two siblings older than me, and I had a few cousins that were younger than me but a lot were older than me too, or the same age. But now when people talk about 14-year-olds, they say things like ''oh, they're still silly kids'', and nobody bats an eyelid when they see a bunch of teenagers going trick-or-treating, but I was told off for wanting to go trick-or-treating when I was 12, people were like ''that's for little kiddies!'' So I had to grow up early, act mature, and leave childhood behind. It just irks me when teenagers these days are allowed to be children.