# Childhood Behaviors As An Adult **URL:** \ **Category:** Miscellaneous and Personal Stuff I Must Share\ **Created:** [September 11, 2023, 3:24am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/childhood-behaviors-as-an-adult/989912 "2023-09-11T03:24:55Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![DorkVader](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/73ab20/32.png) [@DorkVader](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DorkVader)\ **Post date:** [September 11, 2023, 3:24am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/childhood-behaviors-as-an-adult/989912/1 "2023-09-11T03:24:55Z")
What do you do that is a holdover from childhood? To be clear, I don’t mean behavior that would imply you are “immature” or “childish”, just something you started doing as a child that continues to present day. For me, it’s looking for the airplane when I hear the sound of one flying overhead. I’ve been noticing, more, myself doing this lately for some reason, but it’s not something I’ve ever really _stopped_ doing since I was a child. ---
**Author:** ![Beckdawrek](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/beckdawrek/32/3647_2.png) [@Beckdawrek](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Beckdawrek)\ **Post date:** [September 11, 2023, 3:32am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/childhood-behaviors-as-an-adult/989912/2 "2023-09-11T03:32:13Z")
I try to miss cracks in the sidewalk. Maybe now it’s so I don’t faceplant. But as a kid it was a game. ---
**Author:** ![JaneDoe42](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/janedoe42/32/14104_2.png) [@JaneDoe42](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/JaneDoe42)\ **Post date:** [September 11, 2023, 3:43am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/childhood-behaviors-as-an-adult/989912/3 "2023-09-11T03:43:21Z")
Last week I made hubs come with me when I was delivering things to a friend’s husband while she wasn’t home. It’s unseemly for an unescorted lady to visit a male non-relative alone in his home. ---
**Author:** ![Llama\_Llogophile](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/49beb7/32.png) [@Llama\_Llogophile](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Llama_Llogophile)\ **Post date:** [September 11, 2023, 3:50am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/childhood-behaviors-as-an-adult/989912/4 "2023-09-11T03:50:16Z")
I recently found a note my first grade teacher wrote to my mother about how I was doing in school. She said I worked hard - too hard. I wasn’t playing with other kids or on my own, and it concerned her. Today I still prefer to spend time by myself. I don’t think I’m working quite so hard, but I have definitely kept to the pattern of being off on my own. This, despite the fact that I’ve had a few careers that required me to be very outgoing. As I get older I realize that was me, an introvert, masquerading as an extrovert. Nowadays I’m no longer keeping up that appearance. ---
**Author:** ![ZipperJJ](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/zipperjj/32/211_2.png) [@ZipperJJ](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ZipperJJ)\ **Post date:** [September 11, 2023, 4:14am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/childhood-behaviors-as-an-adult/989912/5 "2023-09-11T04:14:01Z")
I fight taking a shower and going to bed. I love both being clean and sleeping but every goddamn night I fight going to bed. And when it’s time for a shower, I wait until the last minute. Like tonight, I wrapped up watching the shows I wanted to watch about a half hour ago. I’m tired from a long weekend. My dogs are already in bed waiting for me. But I’m fucking around, doing shit like posting here. As an adult, I wake up every morning wishing I had gone to bed earlier. And every night my inner child says “nooooooooo!” ---
**Author:** ![InternetLegend](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/internetlegend/32/13154_2.png) [@InternetLegend](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/InternetLegend)\ **Post date:** [September 11, 2023, 4:39am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/childhood-behaviors-as-an-adult/989912/6 "2023-09-11T04:39:34Z")
I think there are a **lot** of us like that on here! I, for instance, should be in the shower right now. I sometimes tell myself stories out loud when I’m alone doing a boring household task, making up a plot and dialogue as I go along. I’ll generally have a cast and a general storyline going, and the details change over time. This is something I’ve done since I was a child; it’s kind of a grownup version of imaginary friends. ---
**Author:** ![kanicbird](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/5f8ce5/32.png) [@kanicbird](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/kanicbird)\ **Post date:** [September 11, 2023, 10:41am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/childhood-behaviors-as-an-adult/989912/7 "2023-09-11T10:41:42Z")
When I’m sick, I tend to treat myself as I was treated as a kid who was sick and would receive the care I give to myself as I did back then. I guess that’s one of many such things, I tend to use child mode at times almost in a mediative sense. ---
**Author:** ![Grrr](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/grrr/32/146_2.png) [@Grrr](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Grrr)\ **Post date:** [September 11, 2023, 11:22am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/childhood-behaviors-as-an-adult/989912/8 "2023-09-11T11:22:45Z")
At a bar once and I noticed a lady looking at me. We locked eyes for a bit. Then I wrote on a piece of paper: "I like you. Do you like me? (Check) Yes No" I then handed it to the bartender and asked her to pass it to the lady. It worked bc she came over and talked to me with a big grin on her face. Who knew 1st graders have the best pick up lines? Lol ---
**Author:** ![pullin](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/c57346/32.png) [@pullin](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/pullin)\ **Post date:** [September 11, 2023, 12:05pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/childhood-behaviors-as-an-adult/989912/9 "2023-09-11T12:05:43Z")
I still react very strongly to bullies. It’s definitely learned behavior from being a small kid in school. IMO, the bully will always be there, but now wears a suit, or a uniform. I still recognize the type, and distance myself as soon as possible. It has surprised a few salesmen that tried intimidation and found themselves talking to empty air. I’ve also _abruptly_ quit jobs when assigned to a bullying manager. One at a Fortune 100 company – I’d only been there 2 weeks and gave notice to HR. I’ve reached a point in my life where I no longer have to tolerate them, and can just move on. ---
**Author:** ![solost](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/solost/32/11776_2.png) [@solost](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/solost)\ **Post date:** [September 11, 2023, 12:29pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/childhood-behaviors-as-an-adult/989912/10 "2023-09-11T12:29:28Z")
> [@DorkVader](#): > > For me, it’s looking for the airplane when I hear the sound of one flying overhead. I still do this, and I feel disappointed if it gets hidden behind trees or a cloud before I get a look at it. > [@Beckdawrek](#): > > I try to miss cracks in the sidewalk. > > Maybe now it’s so I don’t faceplant. But as a kid it was a game. It was never a game. The structural integrity of our mothers’ backs was at stake! ---
**Author:** ![Frodo](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/frodo/32/302_2.png) [@Frodo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Frodo)\ **Post date:** [September 11, 2023, 2:16pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/childhood-behaviors-as-an-adult/989912/11 "2023-09-11T14:16:30Z")
Whenever I accidentally drop salt on the table I take a pinch of it and throw it over my shoulder, this was not a custom I picked up from my family who had very few customs of that type, but from reading Tom Sawyer at age 8 or so. ---
**Author:** ![burpo\_the\_wonder\_mutt](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/burpo_the_wonder_mutt/32/365_2.png) [@burpo\_the\_wonder\_mutt](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/burpo_the_wonder_mutt)\ **Post date:** [September 11, 2023, 3:12pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/childhood-behaviors-as-an-adult/989912/12 "2023-09-11T15:12:31Z")
There are better ways to tie my shoes than the way I learned, but I’m locked into it. AM TOO! ::raspberry:: ---
**Author:** ![Toxylon](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/f05b48/32.png) [@Toxylon](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Toxylon)\ **Post date:** [September 11, 2023, 3:26pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/childhood-behaviors-as-an-adult/989912/13 "2023-09-11T15:26:52Z")
> [@JaneDoe42](#): > > It’s unseemly for an unescorted lady to visit a male non-relative alone in his home. You started doing that as a child? ---
**Author:** ![HoneyBadgerDC](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/honeybadgerdc/32/1033_2.png) [@HoneyBadgerDC](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/HoneyBadgerDC)\ **Post date:** [September 11, 2023, 3:45pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/childhood-behaviors-as-an-adult/989912/14 "2023-09-11T15:45:31Z")
> [@burpo\_the\_wonder\_mutt](#): > > AM TOO! ::raspberry:: I still can’t resist flipping over a piece of wood or cardboard in a field to see what it is underneath it. I also have a weird fascination with flowing water. I grew up in the city and I was always busy creating micro creeks and habitats for the local wildlife. I still have a strong temptation to head out to the local fields and reroute the drainage. ---
**Author:** ![thorny\_locust](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/thorny_locust/32/431_2.png) [@thorny\_locust](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/thorny_locust)\ **Post date:** [September 11, 2023, 3:53pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/childhood-behaviors-as-an-adult/989912/15 "2023-09-11T15:53:57Z")
Do patting cats and reading something whenever I’ve got a hand and eye available count? How about writing bits of stories in my head, and not finishing them though I keep coming back to them? What about arguing? ---
**Author:** ![burpo\_the\_wonder\_mutt](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/burpo_the_wonder_mutt/32/365_2.png) [@burpo\_the\_wonder\_mutt](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/burpo_the_wonder_mutt)\ **Post date:** [September 11, 2023, 3:59pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/childhood-behaviors-as-an-adult/989912/16 "2023-09-11T15:59:13Z")
Like I’m looking in a mirror! I always wondered if there were some way to turn that into a career. I was the one who shoveled the snow – my folks’ house was in the middle of the block and the storm drain was “their” property and I _had_ to get out there and clear the blockage so the run-off would run off and the neighborhood would be safe from ice (at least until the next bout of snow). All in a day’s work for 🎉 🎉 **burpo\_the\_shovel\_mutt**! ---
**Author:** ![JaneDoe42](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/janedoe42/32/14104_2.png) [@JaneDoe42](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/JaneDoe42)\ **Post date:** [September 11, 2023, 4:31pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/childhood-behaviors-as-an-adult/989912/17 "2023-09-11T16:31:32Z")
Absolutely. Manners are like religion, the lessons work best before a child is at the age of reason. ---
**Author:** ![burpo\_the\_wonder\_mutt](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/burpo_the_wonder_mutt/32/365_2.png) [@burpo\_the\_wonder\_mutt](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/burpo_the_wonder_mutt)\ **Post date:** [September 11, 2023, 4:36pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/childhood-behaviors-as-an-adult/989912/18 "2023-09-11T16:36:56Z")
> [@thorny\_locust](#): > > What about arguing? If you want me to go on arguing, you’ll have to pay for another five minutes. ---
**Author:** ![VOW](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/vow/32/3043_2.png) [@VOW](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/VOW)\ **Post date:** [September 11, 2023, 4:56pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/childhood-behaviors-as-an-adult/989912/19 "2023-09-11T16:56:19Z")
I didn’t know arguing was a childish behavior. If it really, truly is (wanna argue about it?), then I’m guilty. I look at the ground when I walk. I’m a clumsy klutz, and I try to minimize my chances of falling. I mean, I can trip over a PAINTED line! Childish behaviors I cannot stand in adults? WHINING. ~VOW ---
**Author:** ![thorny\_locust](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/thorny_locust/32/431_2.png) [@thorny\_locust](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/thorny_locust)\ **Post date:** [September 11, 2023, 6:16pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/childhood-behaviors-as-an-adult/989912/20 "2023-09-11T18:16:28Z")
> [@burpo\_the\_wonder\_mutt](#): > > I always wondered if there were some way to turn that into a career. Sure. I’d suggest Soils & Water agency > **[Soil & Water Conservation District Offices](https://agriculture.ny.gov/soil-and-water/soil-water-conservation-district-offices)** and I’m sure other states and countries have something similar; or you could work as a contractor dealing with drainage issues, for farmers and developers and highway constructors and so on. > [@VOW](#): > > I didn’t know arguing was a childish behavior. I’ve been doing it since I was a child. And the OP says > [@DorkVader](#): > > I don’t mean behavior that would imply you are “immature” or “childish”, just something you started doing as a child that continues to present day. [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/childhood-behaviors-as-an-adult/989912.md?page=2)