Why does our childhood imagination die?

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theQman

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Lately, I've been trying to connect with my little side. It's been successful to a certain extent, but I can't deny that it feels forced. The other day I had some old toys out and I really wanted to enjoy playing with them the way I used to, but I just couldn't. It's like I forgot how. I vividly remember how I'd be able to create my own little world for these toys fueled only by my imagination and I'd have a wonderful time. I used to be able to make a game out of anything and turn the most mundane task into an adventure. I used to be so creative and easily inspired when I was little. I miss that.

I'm just wondering what happened exactly? Why does it seem that as we get older this little part of ourselves just seems to gradually die off? I know this doesn't necessarily happen to everyone, as there are tons of brilliant creative minds who never really lose this side of themselves, but the vast majority can probably relate to this. I'd really love to be able to tap into that little kid in me but I just don't know what happened to it.
 
I have the opposite problem, it seems!
I never lost that wondrous part of me, but at the same time, I have a VERY hard time wrangling myself into an adult frame of mind. To the point where it interferes with how I live. :(
There doesn't seem to be a way to easily keep a balance...?
 
Because as we get older were are expected to conform to a certain frame of mind, of which has been forged over millennia of cultural progression. Of course, that is the nurture side of things.

Talking about the nature side, it gets more psychological. Hormones during puberty change the body in many ways, and the further development of the frontal lobe mold us into more logical thinkers as opposed to the fantastical mind of a child.

It's a big debate in the field of psychology which affects development more - nature or nurture - but it's pretty much a mixture of the two that benefit to the loss of a child's imagination. Sorry, I'm really knowledgeable when it comes to psychology. Not college degree level, but enough to know the terms. :p

That help any? :D


Edit: Oh and about how some people never lose it - that could come down to how different people think, primarily. There are many theorized personality and intelligence types which all cover many sides of human behavior. Some people just have the right personality and intelligence types to keep that childlike imagination.
 
ftlght said:
Because as we get older were are expected to conform to a certain frame of mind, of which has been forged over millennia of cultural progression. Of course, that is the nurture side of things.

Talking about the nature side, it gets more psychological. Hormones during puberty change the body in many ways, and the further development of the frontal lobe mold us into more logical thinkers as opposed to the fantastical mind of a child.

It's a big debate in the field of psychology which affects development more - nature or nurture - but it's pretty much a mixture of the two that benefit to the loss of a child's imagination. Sorry, I'm really knowledgeable when it comes to psychology. Not college degree level, but enough to know the terms. :p

That help any? :D


Edit: Oh and about how some people never lose it - that could come down to how different people think, primarily. There are many theorized personality and intelligence types which all cover many sides of human behavior. Some people just have the right personality and intelligence types to keep that childlike imagination.
Yes that helps very much :) It's also a bit depressing because as I've gotten older I've turned into a hyper realist so I tend to find it difficult to wrap my head around things that are purely fantasy. That probably won't serve me well during play time... Ugh this puberty thing really screwed me over :/ and I have to ask are you going to college for psych? If so, I am too.
 
No idea because to be honest mine never died.
 
Nah, astrophysics. But I got a 5 on my AP Psych exam in school, so I know my stuff pretty well. :D
 
You can get it back with practise :) I swear! Learn to let loose! Do it every day and you get better at it!

Gotta add some more.. I am a cartoonist and an artist so I've kept this flame going since childhood, it's the ability to tell a story and to get immersed in it! If you don't use it every day you can kinda forget it, just like any skill.
 
I think part of it might be developing the correct environment. I usually have an easier time regressing if I have some lullaby style music going on, or a children's movie, whether I'm paying attention to it or not. Also having a lot of cute things in the room you are at helps sometimes too. I do know the feeling though, sometimes it is hard to feel like it is natural.

Part of the problem too, is that you have developed a very rational thinking mind, which is how it is supposed to be as an adult, but the rationality makes you realize that a car with it's doors open will not cause it to start flying. I guess the way of making up for rationality, is learn how to be spontaneous with your activities and your thinking. I can come up with some really nonsensical thoughts if I have too, but it has to be just spontaneous brain barf kind of thinking. I think if you can be spontainious on what kind of toys you pick up, where your hands start moving, what the story is behind the objects you are interacting with, then you might be able to develop something just really bizarre enough that you look at yourself and realize how goofy you are being, and then just laugh and question your sanity...
 
Tyger said:
I think if you can be spontainious on what kind of toys you pick up, where your hands start moving, what the story is behind the objects you are interacting with, then you might be able to develop something just really bizarre enough that you look at yourself and realize how goofy you are being, and then just laugh and question your sanity...

Since starting to volunteer with kids, I've found that I've begun to tap into a more child like creativity. Just recently, while playing with action figures with a not-quite three-year old, I started to mix and match the figures attachments. Have you ever seen Woody from Toy Story wielding TMNT's Michaelangelo's nunchucks? LOL
 
Illinoise said:
Since starting to volunteer with kids, I've found that I've begun to tap into a more child like creativity. Just recently, while playing with action figures with a not-quite three-year old, I started to mix and match the figures attachments. Have you ever seen Woody from Toy Story wielding TMNT's Michaelangelo's nunchucks? LOL

Lol, no i have not.
 
I will admit that at my age of 57, I still have a sort-of imagination.
Many of us on the Autism Spectrum are exceptionally creative.
 
I've acquired a lot of the toys I loved when I was a little kid. My wife bought me several sets of little green army men two Christmases ago. One day I simply got diapered and played with them. Sometimes setting the right frame of mind helps. When I was a grade school kid, I loved playing with my army men. It wasn't quite the same because I wasn't in the same house. I still think about that house and playing in the porch and in my bedroom, which was the entire attic.

I think you have to capture the magic of when you were a kid. It's still there, lurking in the cobwebs of your mind. When I wrote my novel, I brought all of that back simply by using words.
 
Illinoise said:
Since starting to volunteer with kids, I've found that I've begun to tap into a more child like creativity. Just recently, while playing with action figures with a not-quite three-year old, I started to mix and match the figures attachments. Have you ever seen Woody from Toy Story wielding TMNT's Michaelangelo's nunchucks? LOL
I'm about to get a job working as an assistant preschool teacher so hopefully I will get to see that some day soon. I imagine once that starts, acting like a child will become pretty effortless :p
 
I like playing with Legos as a kid and today I still have the same Legos sets. I still have Legos out and still building. I built an entire city one time. I wish I had a picture of that. But I still have made different kinds of buildings, cars, trucks, ships, and city stuff in general. My friends were amazed to see the Legos building that I have made. They ask me if I was going to become an architect, but I ended up doing something instead. But I still play with my Legos. Its funny this thread topic reminds me of the movie Big (1988) for some reason.
 
My childhood imagination did not get the memo about dying when I became an adult. I just changed out the Lego set and electronic parts for more mature versions. Instead of building with Legos, I buy my building blocks from hardware stores. The electronics are no longer torn from broken toys, but bought from electronic supply companies. The childish limits have been dropped; the childish imagination and belief to build whatever I want remained.

"Whosever shall no receive the kingdom of God as a little child, he shall not enter therein." The ability of a child to imagine and to believe in something they neither see nor understand is awesome. These are not childish things to be put away. We can mature and keep our ability to imagine and our ability to make-believe. Improving our speach, thoughts, and understanding is reasonable, giving up play time and toys is not.

I believe some people's childhood imagination has died because they starved it too long. They neglected it and left it alone until it could not work any more. Other times, people around them crush it and burry it. Either way, it is fragile and precious. Check if yours is completely dead or just mostly dead. If it is mostly dead, try to revive it; it is worth having around. Have fun and feed your creativity.
 
Maybe like a muscle, if you practice repeatedly with your toys... maybe then you can re-develop your more innocent playfulness and imagination? *blushes* take some time everyday, and play in a diaper. I bet you'll find you're still the best kid at heart.
 
I believe that we lose our childhood imagination is because as we get a little older in our childhood, we are told to "GROW UP" by our parents and others who perceive what we are doing is childish. Then again as we get older our interest changes with the different activities we get into, such as sports, cars, and girls to name a few, thus we push the childhood memories to the back burner and gradually forget them. I also tried to revive my childhood memories to no avail, I probably should have tried a lot harder, however my adult things seemed to become first. I would think that since you are much younger than my self, (72) you would be able to connect with your childhood much easier than myself. It may be the environment in the household where you grew up that blocks your path to the regression level that you want.

These are my thoughts on this subject.
 
Your imagination and creativity only disappear if you allow it to.
 
Wow, Thanks so much everyone this thread became very insightful! After reading what everyone had to say I guess 'dying' is a really negative way of looking at it. Sure, we may become more mature and more logical to the point where fantastical things seem unrealistic, but that's natural. Your imagination is something that matures with you and never goes away, but may lay dormant and become harder and harder to reach the less you use it. I suppose it's like any activity or any muscle in your body, it takes practice and strengthening to fully reap the benefits of your imagination. So I'm guessing it never died, it's just been neglected
Nanaja said:
take some time everyday, and play in a diaper. I bet you'll find you're still the best kid at heart.
Maybe I'll do just that :)
 
I think sometimes we need other people. Witnesses. This has made the difference for me, I have people in my life who allow me to be little. It's one thing to be lying on the floor on your tummy playing with toys-- it's a whole new world if somebody is rubbing your back and asking you what the toys are doing :)
 
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