# Things adults do that you find (mildly) juvenile **URL:** \ **Category:** In My Humble Opinion\ **Created:** [July 18, 2018, 12:40pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/things-adults-do-that-you-find-mildly-juvenile/818141 "2018-07-18T12:40:58Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 2
**Author:** ![SanVito](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/sanvito/32/2805_2.png) [@SanVito](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/SanVito)\ **Post date:** [July 18, 2018, 2:59pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/things-adults-do-that-you-find-mildly-juvenile/818141/21 "2018-07-18T14:59:38Z")
> [@GuanoLad](#): > > Riding skateboards. > > I cling to my childhood obsessions as much as the next geek, so it’s somewhat irrational, but man do I hate adults on skateboards. This. A 100% this. Also, people who cry or storm out when their team loses at sport. As also mentioned, really picky eaters. My (50 year old) brother-in-law basically eats burgers, fried eggs and cheese. At our wedding - which involved multiple sharing plates of deliciousness for people of all food preferences - he went to the bar downstairs and ordered himself a burger (and put it on our bill). He also comes round our house and sits playing games on his iPad, not engaging in conversation. He lives in Brazil, so we see him about once a year, and when we do he’s like some grumpy teenager. My sister in law often talks about having three children - her twins and him. I’d have divorced him years ago. ---
**Author:** ![kayT](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/kayt/32/3633_2.png) [@kayT](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/kayT)\ **Post date:** [July 18, 2018, 3:04pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/things-adults-do-that-you-find-mildly-juvenile/818141/22 "2018-07-18T15:04:52Z")
> [@TRC4941](#): > > When my husband eats hotdish with a SPOON! OMG I can’t even stand to look at him when does this. I asked him why when I first noticed it - he said because you can get more food on a spoon than on a fork. What is hotdish? Why is it wrong to use a spoon? ---
**Author:** ![Robot\_Arm](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/robot_arm/32/18280_2.png) [@Robot\_Arm](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Robot_Arm)\ **Post date:** [July 18, 2018, 3:07pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/things-adults-do-that-you-find-mildly-juvenile/818141/23 "2018-07-18T15:07:51Z")
When I take a shower, I always put a towel over the shower curtain rod, or someplace else where I can reach it, so I can dry my eyes and not get soap or shampoo in them. I had someone tell me once that that was childish. It was the added benefit that, when the shower is over, I can dry myself in the shower and not drip all over the bathroom floor. > [@Grrr](#): > > Cartoons. I didn’t watch most cartoons as a kid, but I was a big fan of Bugs Bunny and the rest of the Warner Brothers’ troupe, and I still go to retrospectives of their work on occasion. I don’t know that I’d defend it as “ooh, it’s so clever” but there are skills in the animation and story telling that I didn’t appreciate as a child. ---
**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:** [July 18, 2018, 3:09pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/things-adults-do-that-you-find-mildly-juvenile/818141/24 "2018-07-18T15:09:02Z")
> [@kayT](#): > > What is hotdish? Why is it wrong to use a spoon? It’s basically a casserole. ---
**Author:** ![Doug\_K](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/b5ac83/32.png) [@Doug\_K](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Doug_K)\ **Post date:** [July 18, 2018, 3:24pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/things-adults-do-that-you-find-mildly-juvenile/818141/25 "2018-07-18T15:24:51Z")
> [@The\_wind\_of\_my\_soul](#): > > Well, I do some pretty juvenile stuff myself (I still jump on the moonbounce at kids’ birthday parties, for example), so I’m hesitant to pass judgment. Hesitant, but I’ll do it. > > The example that comes to mind for me: I was a bridesmaid in my best friend’s wedding, and she had a buffet spread with a pretty good, standard selection of food. You know, meat, noodles, potatoes, vegetables, dessert. After the wedding, a couple was nice enough to give me a ride back to the hotel, but before dropping me off, they had to swing by the drive-thru at a fast food restaurant because the husband was a picky eater and didn’t like any of the standard fare at the wedding. Which seemed like exactly the sort of thing you’d need to do to accommodate a five year old. > > That’s a specific example, but to make it more general, people who are so picky that they cannot find anything to eat on a menu, or at a place with a generous selection of foods. I realize that some people may have some sort of condition that makes them extra sensitive to that sort of thing (aren’t some autistic people extremely picky about the flavors and textures of food?), but regardless, that behavior is so much more common in young children that it strikes me as juvenile behavior. > > P.S. I’m not referring to people who have food allergies, or dietary restrictions due to their religion or something. I’m referring to people who simply don’t like the taste of almost everything except pizza and chicken nuggets. Sometimes that generous selection has more in common than you might think. It’s not uncommon to see a huge spread where everything available has at least one of a handful of ingredients that a lot of people have strong aversions to - like mayo, sour cream, mushrooms. To be more specific, I can’t stand guacamole, refried beans, or sour cream, but in some Mexican restaurants nearly every item on the menu includes refried beans and at least one of the other two. Makes you feel like you’re in the infamous Spam sketch. ---
**Author:** ![jz78817](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/jz78817/32/1028_2.png) [@jz78817](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/jz78817)\ **Post date:** [July 18, 2018, 3:27pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/things-adults-do-that-you-find-mildly-juvenile/818141/26 "2018-07-18T15:27:12Z")
> [@](#): > > Are there any behaviors that you find somewhat childish when you see an adult exhibiting them? you mean, apart from worrying about inconsequential things other people do? 😉 I’m only half joking; IMO it’s actually pretty juvenile in and of itself to think adults _have_ to do things a certain way. Ice cream cones are childish? seriously? another one is undergarment. some guys have it in their heads that guys have to wear boxers once they’re “adults,” commonly with the put down that they “haven’t worn briefs ever since their mom stopped buying underwear for them.” ---
**Author:** ![WOOKINPANUB](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/wookinpanub/32/132_2.png) [@WOOKINPANUB](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/WOOKINPANUB)\ **Post date:** [July 18, 2018, 3:29pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/things-adults-do-that-you-find-mildly-juvenile/818141/27 "2018-07-18T15:29:05Z")
> [@Robot\_Arm](#): > > When I take a shower, I always put a towel over the shower curtain rod, or someplace else where I can reach it, so I can dry my eyes and not get soap or shampoo in them. I had someone tell me once that that was childish. > > It was the added benefit that, when the shower is over, I can dry myself in the shower and not drip all over the bathroom floor. > > I didn’t watch most cartoons as a kid, but I was a big fan of Bugs Bunny and the rest of the Warner Brothers’ troupe, and I still go to retrospectives of their work on occasion. I don’t know that I’d defend it as “ooh, it’s so clever” but there are skills in the animation and story telling that I didn’t appreciate as a child. I can’t see what’s childish about the towel thing; actually a good idea if you ask me. And I wish Bugs Bunny cartoons were still on around here; I loved them as a child and if it’s possible I enjoy them even more now. ---
**Author:** ![Slash1972](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/slash1972/32/6461_2.png) [@Slash1972](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Slash1972)\ **Post date:** [July 18, 2018, 3:33pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/things-adults-do-that-you-find-mildly-juvenile/818141/28 "2018-07-18T15:33:23Z")
> [@Robot\_Arm](#): > > When I take a shower, I always put a towel over the shower curtain rod, or someplace else where I can reach it, so I can dry my eyes and not get soap or shampoo in them. I had someone tell me once that that was childish. > > It was the added benefit that, when the shower is over, I can dry myself in the shower and not drip all over the bathroom floor. What’s the “non-childish” way to do this then? It seems to me that your way is the correct way. Probably because that’s how I dry off too 🙂 ---
**Author:** ![Enright3](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/enright3/32/2897_2.png) [@Enright3](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Enright3)\ **Post date:** [July 18, 2018, 3:38pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/things-adults-do-that-you-find-mildly-juvenile/818141/29 "2018-07-18T15:38:35Z")
> [@Jophiel](#): > > My dentist recommends a straw to cut down on the amount of sugary liquids flowing over your teeth. I don’t really do it, but he does recommend it. I’d like to see some actual studies on this. My dentist told me that your tongue, lips, and saliva do a pretty good job of cleaning your teeth between brushing. Furthermore how do you drink liquid without a straw? It’s not like you’re straining it through your teeth! I would say most people pull liquid onto their tongue much like a straw does. Until proven otherwise, I would think there’s no negligible difference. Unless of course you stick way into the back of your throat. Most people place the tip of the straw on or just past the lips. I say not much of a difference. ---
**Author:** ![bibliophage](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/bibliophage/32/7615_2.png) [@bibliophage](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/bibliophage)\ **Post date:** [July 18, 2018, 3:48pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/things-adults-do-that-you-find-mildly-juvenile/818141/30 "2018-07-18T15:48:19Z")
Grown men wearing short pants. It’s not particularly rational or fair, but it’s how I feel. It doesn’t bother me in certain contexts (if they’re at the beach, hiking, running, mowing the lawn, relaxing at their own home, etc.). But at restaurants or stores, at work or school, when visiting other people’s houses, put on some long pants. I think it bothers me because of my father’s experiences. Until he as 12, his controlling, extremely old-fashioned mother wouldn’t let him wear long pants, ever. He had to wear shorts in the summer and knee-pants (knickers) in winter, whether he wanted to or not (and he didn’t want to). He so resented that childhood rule that he never wore shorts as an adult, even when the weather was hot. To this day I associate long pants with grown men and short pants with children. Myself I never wear shorts in public and only very, very rarely at home. ---
**Author:** ![Jophiel](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/jophiel/32/66_2.png) [@Jophiel](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Jophiel)\ **Post date:** [July 18, 2018, 3:48pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/things-adults-do-that-you-find-mildly-juvenile/818141/31 "2018-07-18T15:48:42Z")
> [@Enright3](#): > > I’d like to see some actual studies on this. […] I say not much of a difference. Eh, take it up with my dentist. I just thought there might be a legitimate reason for someone using a lot of straws. Where I count “On the advice of my medical professionals” as legitimate regardless of the peer review. Or he could just be a straw-obsessed goof. ---
**Author:** ![Sir\_T-Cups](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/ed655f/32.png) [@Sir\_T-Cups](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sir_T-Cups)\ **Post date:** [July 18, 2018, 3:50pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/things-adults-do-that-you-find-mildly-juvenile/818141/32 "2018-07-18T15:50:35Z")
> [@Robot\_Arm](#): > > When I take a shower, I always put a towel over the shower curtain rod, or someplace else where I can reach it, so I can dry my eyes and not get soap or shampoo in them. I had someone tell me once that that was childish. There is no way I can take a shower and NOT have something nearby to dry my face off with. I hate water on my face and am constantly wiping it off while showering. I literally have a towel rack in my shower for this express purpose. ---
**Author:** ![Machine\_Elf](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/82dd89/32.png) [@Machine\_Elf](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Machine_Elf)\ **Post date:** [July 18, 2018, 3:50pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/things-adults-do-that-you-find-mildly-juvenile/818141/33 "2018-07-18T15:50:52Z")
> [@Robot\_Arm](#): > > When I take a shower, I always put a towel over the shower curtain rod, or someplace else where I can reach it, so I can dry my eyes and not get soap or shampoo in them. I had someone tell me once that that was childish. > > It was the added benefit that, when the shower is over, I can dry myself in the shower and not drip all over the bathroom floor. I won’t say it’s childish to dry your eyes with a towel as you describe, but I’ve never had an issue with getting soap or shampoo in them. Close eyes while washing face/hair, rinse well, open eyes, everything’s fine, no soap/shampoo irritation at all. Do your eyelids have some kind of anatomical irregularity that makes this challenging? I do drape the towel over the curtain rod though - not to keep the floor dry, but so that I can towel off in the warm, super-humid micro-climate of the shower before stepping out into cold, dry air. Much more pleasant that way, especially in the winter when the bathroom air is really cold and dry. ---
**Author:** ![Jophiel](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/jophiel/32/66_2.png) [@Jophiel](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Jophiel)\ **Post date:** [July 18, 2018, 3:51pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/things-adults-do-that-you-find-mildly-juvenile/818141/34 "2018-07-18T15:51:12Z")
> [@bibliophage](#): > > Grown men wearing short pants. It’s not particularly rational or fair, but it’s how I feel. […] To this day I associate long pants with grown men and short pants with children. Myself I never wear shorts in public and only very, very rarely at home. Made worse these days with the Powers That Be deciding that cargo shorts are an abomination and that we should all wear straight shorts that look like they came from a British school uniform catalog. I’ll stick with pants. ---
**Author:** ![panache45](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/panache45/32/64_2.png) [@panache45](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/panache45)\ **Post date:** [July 18, 2018, 3:51pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/things-adults-do-that-you-find-mildly-juvenile/818141/35 "2018-07-18T15:51:45Z")
Spectator sports. I can understand if you’re a player; good exercise, team spirit, etc. But watching someone else play a game, I just don’t get it. ---
**Author:** ![Robot\_Arm](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/robot_arm/32/18280_2.png) [@Robot\_Arm](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Robot_Arm)\ **Post date:** [July 18, 2018, 4:00pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/things-adults-do-that-you-find-mildly-juvenile/818141/36 "2018-07-18T16:00:40Z")
> [@WOOKINPANUB](#): > > I can’t see what’s childish about the towel thing; actually a good idea if you ask me. I think the idea was that a Real Adult would just wash his face, rinse the soap off, and open his eyes;[sup]\*[/sup] no towel required. Even if all the soap is rinsed away, I just don’t like the feeling of water dripping into my open eyes. My sample size for “towel over the curtain rod; yes or no” is two. I though about starting a thread on the subject, but I wasn’t sure it met even the most generous mundane-and-pointless threshold. - It was actually a woman who said it was childish, so perhaps that should read “wash her face”, etc. ---
**Author:** ![Robot\_Arm](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/robot_arm/32/18280_2.png) [@Robot\_Arm](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Robot_Arm)\ **Post date:** [July 18, 2018, 4:10pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/things-adults-do-that-you-find-mildly-juvenile/818141/37 "2018-07-18T16:10:17Z")
> [@Machine\_Elf](#): > > I won’t say it’s childish to dry your eyes with a towel as you describe, but I’ve never had an issue with getting soap or shampoo in them. Close eyes while washing face/hair, rinse well, open eyes, everything’s fine, no soap/shampoo irritation at all. Do your eyelids have some kind of anatomical irregularity that makes this challenging? Most of the time it’s fine; close eyes, lather, rinse, etc. Maybe a couple times a decade there will just be a bit of shampoo residue at the corner of my eye when I open it, and that irritates a bit. I still just like to wipe the area around my eyes dry before I open them. Maybe it’s a subconscious holdover from the few times I did get something in my eyes. It’s been ages since I’ve been swimming, but I remember I could swim with my eyes open. I didn’t need a towel when I came out of the water and opened my eyes. Maybe I should try this new, adult method of showering. Never too old to learn something new, and every once in a while there’s a shower with a full door and no room to drape a towel over it, which is how the subject came up in the first place. > [@](#): > > I do drape the towel over the curtain rod though - not to keep the floor dry, but so that I can towel off in the warm, super-humid micro-climate of the shower before stepping out into cold, dry air. Much more pleasant that way, especially in the winter when the bathroom air is really cold and dry. That too. No reason to come out of a warm shower on a cold day until you really have to. ---
**Author:** ![Machine\_Elf](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/82dd89/32.png) [@Machine\_Elf](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Machine_Elf)\ **Post date:** [July 18, 2018, 4:10pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/things-adults-do-that-you-find-mildly-juvenile/818141/38 "2018-07-18T16:10:38Z")
> [@Robot\_Arm](#): > > I think the idea was that a Real Adult would just wash his face, rinse the soap off, and open his eyes;[sup]\*[/sup] no towel required. Even if all the soap is rinsed away, I just don’t like the feeling of water dripping into my open eyes. I don’t care for it either; if I open my eyes underwater or when my hair/forehead is dripping, it feels like somehow the water is accumulating under my eyelids. I manage to solve this with by slicking back my hair and wiping my forehead with my hand to stop the dripping, and rubbing my eyes a bit to drive out any accumulated water. YYMV. ---
**Author:** ![Filbert](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/filbert/32/3433_2.png) [@Filbert](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Filbert)\ **Post date:** [July 18, 2018, 4:13pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/things-adults-do-that-you-find-mildly-juvenile/818141/39 "2018-07-18T16:13:25Z")
> [@jz78817](#): > > you mean, apart from worrying about inconsequential things other people do? 😉 > > I’m only half joking; IMO it’s actually pretty juvenile in and of itself to think adults _have_ to do things a certain way. Ice cream cones are childish? seriously? > > another one is undergarment. some guys have it in their heads that guys have to wear boxers once they’re “adults,” commonly with the put down that they “haven’t worn briefs ever since their mom stopped buying underwear for them.” Yeah, I definitely subscribe to the [XKCD](https://xkcd.com/150/) view of adulthood. Not taking responsibility for your own life, like getting your parents to bail you out because you didn’t pay the bills on time? Juvenile. Having fun in ways that hurt no-one? What’s the problem 😕 Now if you’ll excuse me, I have cartoons to watch while eating cream cakes in my jammies, because I can. ---
**Author:** ![FairyChatMom](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/fairychatmom/32/22080_2.png) [@FairyChatMom](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/FairyChatMom)\ **Post date:** [July 18, 2018, 4:19pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/things-adults-do-that-you-find-mildly-juvenile/818141/40 "2018-07-18T16:19:15Z")
My Little Pony - I just don’t get the obsession. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/things-adults-do-that-you-find-mildly-juvenile/818141.md?page=1) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/things-adults-do-that-you-find-mildly-juvenile/818141.md?page=3)