# 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:** 5
**Author:** ![elbows](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/b3f665/32.png) [@elbows](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/elbows)\ **Post date:** [July 19, 2018, 2:09pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/things-adults-do-that-you-find-mildly-juvenile/818141/81 "2018-07-19T14:09:37Z")
Hello Kitty…anything. Punch buggy crap. Just stop, please. And I agree with any truly overt attention seeking behaviour. Seems in tune with young adults, but truly sad to see in mature ones. ---
**Author:** ![The\_wind\_of\_my\_soul](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/ecc23a/32.png) [@The\_wind\_of\_my\_soul](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/The_wind_of_my_soul)\ **Post date:** [July 19, 2018, 2:15pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/things-adults-do-that-you-find-mildly-juvenile/818141/82 "2018-07-19T14:15:54Z")
> [@Wallaby](#): > > A quote from Doctor Who (Tom Baker). > > ‘What’s the point of being grown up, if you can’t act childishly when you want to?’ > ‘Have a jelly baby’. > > I think I would have been about 15-16 when I saw that. Liked it then - still do. I love that you posted this, because I feel like some people are getting pretty defensive here (or else I’m just not reading the situation well). It’s okay to act juvenile sometimes! As long as you can pay the bills and keep yourself and your family safe, who cares if someone else considers your hobbies juvenile? ---
**Author:** ![TRC4941](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/trc4941/32/6792_2.png) [@TRC4941](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/TRC4941)\ **Post date:** [July 19, 2018, 2:35pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/things-adults-do-that-you-find-mildly-juvenile/818141/83 "2018-07-19T14:35:11Z")
> [@PackerMan](#): > > I just learned about this last week. I saw it on some show on either the Cooking Channel or Food Network. Lots of variations, but basically cooked ground beef, veggies, cream of mushroom soup, shredded cheese then covered in tater tots and baked. > > Having grown up in the Midwest, I would have thought I would know if it, but I guess it is just a Minnesota thing. > > After seeing it, I had to pick up some tots on my last time shopping for groceries. This reminded me that I haven’t made it yet. Guess I know what is for dinner tonight! There are all sorts of different hotdishes - not just tater tot hotdish. It’s the same thing as a casserole. Meat, noodles or rice, cheese, sometimes veggies, etc. Tuna hotdish is another very popular casserole. Pizza hotdish is a family favorite. Look up hotdish on any recipe website and you’ll find hundreds of different hotdishes. I can’t believe a midwesterner is just hearing about hotdishes now! And IMHO - they should be eaten with a fork! ---
**Author:** ![TRC4941](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/trc4941/32/6792_2.png) [@TRC4941](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/TRC4941)\ **Post date:** [July 19, 2018, 2:39pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/things-adults-do-that-you-find-mildly-juvenile/818141/84 "2018-07-19T14:39:47Z")
> [@Velocity](#): > > I think there is some kind of inverse relationship between how inefficient an eating method is and how polite it is. For instance, it’s “impolite” to eat food with your fingers even if that results in less food waste, and as a child I used to be lectured about how important it was to tilt my bowl _away_ from me while using a spoon to eat soup from a bowl, rather than towards me, even though it was far easier to eat soup with the latter method than the former. And here someone’s wife is mad because her husband uses a spoon for a casserole rather than a fork. > > It does seem to be a case of “If a method is more energy-intensive, it’s probably politer” etiquette. I don’t get MAD at my husband. It’s just one of those small irritants that we all experience in married life. He can eat anyway he wants. ---
**Author:** ![TruCelt](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/trucelt/32/523_2.png) [@TruCelt](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/TruCelt)\ **Post date:** [July 19, 2018, 2:40pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/things-adults-do-that-you-find-mildly-juvenile/818141/85 "2018-07-19T14:40:01Z")
> [@kayT](#): > > What is hotdish? Why is it wrong to use a spoon? > [@Velocity](#): > > I think there is some kind of inverse relationship between how inefficient an eating method is and how polite it is. > . . . > It does seem to be a case of “If a method is more energy-intensive, it’s probably politer” etiquette. My Grandmother’s rule: “It is generally impolite to eat as if you were particularly hungry. The general impression should be that you are eating because the food is delicious, and you are therefore taking the time to taste it.” Another of her etiquette rules: “Never point out that someone else is wrong, unless it is hurting someone else.” > [@nearwildheaven](#): > > When I was a kid, the big thing for women was soap operas. My mother planned her life around “As The World Turns.” :smack: > > For that matter, I liked “Downton Abbey” but it’s not like I lived for it or anything. In fairness, we didn’t have DVRs back then, and soap operas didn’t do repeats. If you missed it, that was it. I don’t think this generation fully appreciates the luxury of being freed from the television schedule, or of being able to ff through the commercials. My response to the OP: People who are obsessed with their “shoulds” and imposing them upon others. Like when my back was bad, and crocs were the only shoes that absorbed shock well enough to stop the pain. You just wouldn’t believe the looks I got. Why, in the name of all that is holy, does anybody else give a crap what shoes I wear to the grocery store? It’s complete insanity. Should I really carry a note from my doctor to satisfy complete strangers? And involving themselves in the sexual preferences of healthy consenting adults. WTF? Stop thinking about things that are none of your business, and it won’t bother you anymore. If you haven’t developed the mental filters to live and let live by the time you are 18 years old, you’ve missed a developmental step. Go back to Kindergarten; do not pass “Go” do not collect $200. :rolleyes: ---
**Author:** ![cochrane](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/cochrane/32/10441_2.png) [@cochrane](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/cochrane)\ **Post date:** [July 19, 2018, 3:04pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/things-adults-do-that-you-find-mildly-juvenile/818141/86 "2018-07-19T15:04:32Z")
> [@madmonk28](#): > > Superhero movies and shows. I’m always amazed when an adult will start talking about the latest superhero movie or tv show. I realize that puts me in the minority here. Huge minority. The _Arrowverse_ shows and the Marvel Comics Universe are hot topics for discussion in Cafe Society. ---
**Author:** ![TRC4941](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/trc4941/32/6792_2.png) [@TRC4941](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/TRC4941)\ **Post date:** [July 19, 2018, 3:37pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/things-adults-do-that-you-find-mildly-juvenile/818141/87 "2018-07-19T15:37:42Z")
> [@Jennshark](#): > > This and other adult fandom of kids’ movies and TV shows. I have some female friends who are gaga over Minions – I wish there was a FB button that could ensure I’m not subjected to Minion memes. YES! Adult clothing sporting pictures of Betty Boop or Minnie Mouse, etc. UGH! ---
**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 19, 2018, 3:42pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/things-adults-do-that-you-find-mildly-juvenile/818141/88 "2018-07-19T15:42:24Z")
> [@TruCelt](#): > > My Grandmother’s rule: “It is generally impolite to eat as if you were particularly hungry. The general impression should be that you are eating because the food is delicious, and you are therefore taking the time to taste it.” > > Another of her etiquette rules: “Never point out that someone else is wrong, unless it is hurting someone else.” > > In fairness, we didn’t have DVRs back then, and soap operas didn’t do repeats. If you missed it, that was it. I don’t think this generation fully appreciates the luxury of being freed from the television schedule, or of being able to ff through the commercials. > My response to the OP: People who are obsessed with their “shoulds” and imposing them upon others. > > Like when my back was bad, and crocs were the only shoes that absorbed shock well enough to stop the pain. You just wouldn’t believe the looks I got. Why, in the name of all that is holy, does anybody else give a crap what shoes I wear to the grocery store? It’s complete insanity. Should I really carry a note from my doctor to satisfy complete strangers? > > And involving themselves in the sexual preferences of healthy consenting adults. WTF? Stop thinking about things that are none of your business, and it won’t bother you anymore. > > If you haven’t developed the mental filters to live and let live by the time you are 18 years old, you’ve missed a developmental step. Go back to Kindergarten; do not pass “Go” do not collect $200. > > :rolleyes: Eye rolling? \*Real mature \* 😛 Nobody is talking about being “obsessed” with anything, and we sure as hell aren’t talking about anything remotely as deep as sexual orientation. The discomfort you’re feeling as a result of this thread is all on you, I’m afraid. ---
**Author:** ![madmonk28](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/madmonk28/32/20811_2.png) [@madmonk28](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/madmonk28)\ **Post date:** [July 19, 2018, 4:19pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/things-adults-do-that-you-find-mildly-juvenile/818141/89 "2018-07-19T16:19:11Z")
> [@cochrane](#): > > Huge minority. The _Arrowverse_ shows and the Marvel Comics Universe are hot topics for discussion in Cafe Society. Yup and I find it mildly juvenile. ---
**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 19, 2018, 4:19pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/things-adults-do-that-you-find-mildly-juvenile/818141/90 "2018-07-19T16:19:37Z")
The Tour de France is happening right now, and today was the climb up Alpe d’Huez. I’d forgotten what an absolute zoo the spectators can be; burning flares and smoke bombs, waving flags in he riders’ faces, running next to the riders, or mugging for the camera in speedos or other stupid costumes. It’s a combination of the very worst sports fandom and attention seeking; two stupid things that become moronic together. ---
**Author:** ![Helena330](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/helena330/32/531_2.png) [@Helena330](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Helena330)\ **Post date:** [July 19, 2018, 4:43pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/things-adults-do-that-you-find-mildly-juvenile/818141/91 "2018-07-19T16:43:46Z")
> [@Sparky812](#): > > Seconded. > > You know how much shorter (and cheaper!) taking the kids to Disney World would be if you didn’t have to wait in line behind thousands of freaking adults who won’t grow the fuck up!? :dubious: You know how much shorter (and more pleasant) the lines would be at Disney World if people wouldn’t take their shrieking brats?? Seriously. I can’t believe this one. I went to Disney World for the first time as an adult WITH another adult and loved it unapologetically. ---
**Author:** ![bump](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/7c8e57/32.png) [@bump](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/bump)\ **Post date:** [July 19, 2018, 4:46pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/things-adults-do-that-you-find-mildly-juvenile/818141/92 "2018-07-19T16:46:48Z")
> [@Sicks\_Ate](#): > > Harry Potter fixation. For me, it’s more when I see adults reading Harry Potter books and/or talking about them and being somehow proud of it, or not mildly embarrassed. And doubly so when they suggest I read them. I keep thinking “You’re 37- why are you reading young adult literature? Shouldn’t you be reading Chuck Palahniuk, Kevin Kwan or even less literary stuff like Nora Roberts or Bernard Cornwell? At least they’re all writing books for adults.” Or when they’re recommended to me, I think “I’m 45… why would I want to read a book aimed at 11 year olds?” Now I realize they’re well done books, and they’re probably very entertaining, and I imagine that I’ll eventually get around to reading them, probably as part of reading them to/with my kids. I guess in a larger sense, it’s the level of oblivious enthusiasm for something that’s intended for children/teenagers/young adults that I find a little bit childish when adults do it. It’s not necessarily doing childish stuff, and it’s not necessarily judgmental; it’s almost like a sympathetic embarrassment and cringing feeling for them- kind of a “God, no, dude, don’t talk about that in public. People are going to think that a grown man who reads a lot of manga is weird.” ---
**Author:** ![Sparky812](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/eb9ed0/32.png) [@Sparky812](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sparky812)\ **Post date:** [July 19, 2018, 5:05pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/things-adults-do-that-you-find-mildly-juvenile/818141/93 "2018-07-19T17:05:02Z")
> [@Helena330](#): > > You know how much shorter (and more pleasant) the lines would be at Disney World if people wouldn’t take their shrieking brats?? > > Seriously. I can’t believe this one. I went to Disney World for the first time as an adult WITH another adult and loved it unapologetically. What can’t you believe? Disney World is an amusement park designed primarily for families and children. It’s supposed to be full of shrieking children. Secondly, its’ a fact that children are impatient, get excited easily and have short attention spans so it’s completely normal that they lose it while standing in line behind a bunch of immature grown-ups. That said, I’ve always thought they should have 2 lines for each attraction. ---
**Author:** ![Thudlow\_Boink](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/thudlow_boink/32/320_2.png) [@Thudlow\_Boink](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Thudlow_Boink)\ **Post date:** [July 19, 2018, 5:13pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/things-adults-do-that-you-find-mildly-juvenile/818141/94 "2018-07-19T17:13:04Z")
> [@bump](#): > > For me, it’s more when I see adults reading Harry Potter books and/or talking about them and being somehow proud of it, or not mildly embarrassed. And doubly so when they suggest I read them. > > I keep thinking “You’re 37- why are you reading young adult literature? Shouldn’t you be reading Chuck Palahniuk, Kevin Kwan or even less literary stuff like Nora Roberts or Bernard Cornwell? At least they’re all writing books for adults.” Or when they’re recommended to me, I think “I’m 45… why would I want to read a book aimed at 11 year olds?” I guess I was around 45 when I read _Fight Club_, and, while I enjoyed and appreciated it, I kinda felt like I was a little too old for it, that it was aimed at an audience a few years (or a generation) younger than I. If it’s odd for a 45-year-old to want to read a book aimed at 11-year-olds, is it still odd for him to want to read a book aimed at 21-year-olds? Or at 35-year-olds? Or at 55-year-olds? Or for a man to read a book aimed at women? Or… Well, I could go on. I’m curious as to what your reasoning is, why you _wouldn’t_ want to read a kid’s book? And what are your limits on what books you _would_ find it okay to want to read, and why. > [@C. S. Lewis](#): > > It is usual to speak in a playfully apologetic tone about one’s adult enjoyment of what are called ‘children’s books’. I think the convention a silly one. No book is really worth reading at the age of ten which is not equally (and often far more) worth reading at the age of fifty—except, of course, books of information. The only imaginative works we ought to grow out of are those which it would have been better not to have read at all. ---
**Author:** ![kanicbird](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/5f8ce5/32.png) [@kanicbird](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/kanicbird)\ **Post date:** [July 19, 2018, 5:21pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/things-adults-do-that-you-find-mildly-juvenile/818141/95 "2018-07-19T17:21:41Z")
I find it amusing how some posters here have equated adults acting (mildly) juvenile as something negative, and as such in the process of doing that is acting juvenile themselves. ---
**Author:** ![Maggie\_the\_Ocelot](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/df705f/32.png) [@Maggie\_the\_Ocelot](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Maggie_the_Ocelot)\ **Post date:** [July 19, 2018, 5:30pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/things-adults-do-that-you-find-mildly-juvenile/818141/96 "2018-07-19T17:30:21Z")
> [@bump](#): > > For me, it’s more when I see adults reading Harry Potter books and/or talking about them and being somehow proud of it, or not mildly embarrassed. And doubly so when they suggest I read them. > > I keep thinking “You’re 37- why are you reading young adult literature? Shouldn’t you be reading Chuck Palahniuk, Kevin Kwan or even less literary stuff like Nora Roberts or Bernard Cornwell? At least they’re all writing books for adults.” Or when they’re recommended to me, I think “I’m 45… why would I want to read a book aimed at 11 year olds?” > > Now I realize they’re well done books, and they’re probably very entertaining, and I imagine that I’ll eventually get around to reading them, probably as part of reading them to/with my kids. > > I guess in a larger sense, it’s the level of oblivious enthusiasm for something that’s intended for children/teenagers/young adults that I find a little bit childish when adults do it. It’s not necessarily doing childish stuff, and it’s not necessarily judgmental; it’s almost like a sympathetic embarrassment and cringing feeling for them- kind of a “God, no, dude, don’t talk about that in public. People are going to think that a grown man who reads a lot of manga is weird.” Typical Ravenclaw attitude. ---
**Author:** ![begbert2](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/begbert2/32/3357_2.png) [@begbert2](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/begbert2)\ **Post date:** [July 19, 2018, 5:58pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/things-adults-do-that-you-find-mildly-juvenile/818141/97 "2018-07-19T17:58:45Z")
I find a lot of these “Harry Potter/My Little Pony/Game Of Thrones/Marvel Movies” posts to be rather humorous, because one thing I find to be extremely childish is criticizing and rejecting something without having given it a proper, fair try. It’s not impressive when a three-year-old refuses to eat a new food just because they don’t know it, and it’s not impressive when a so-called adult refuses to so much as watch My Little Pony or read Harry Potter due to assumptions that these adult-produced products aren’t ‘mature’ enough. I can get avoiding materials because they don’t interest you - Game of Thrones doesn’t sound appealing to me, so I haven’t watched it. But I don’t presume to say that it’s _bad_ - after all, I don’t actually know. ---
**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 19, 2018, 6:50pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/things-adults-do-that-you-find-mildly-juvenile/818141/98 "2018-07-19T18:50:32Z")
I don’t know that everyone is suggesting that these things are bad - the OP asked what we find to be juvenile. I don’t care if you like MLP or Harry Potter or super hero movies. I, personally, find them to be childish and I choose to avoid them. I also avoid rap music, NASCAR, reality TV, and really spicy foods. I don’t condemn those who like those things, and I don’t think I should be judged on my preferences. I didn’t see any posts declaring that certain “juvenile” things should be outlawed or that people who are fans should be flogged and mocked. Sadly, I see more and more people seemingly offended or “victimized” if they like something that another person doesn’t like. Gee, that’s kinds juvenile, isn’t it?? ---
**Author:** ![begbert2](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/begbert2/32/3357_2.png) [@begbert2](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/begbert2)\ **Post date:** [July 19, 2018, 6:55pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/things-adults-do-that-you-find-mildly-juvenile/818141/99 "2018-07-19T18:55:58Z")
> [@FairyChatMom](#): > > I don’t know that everyone is suggesting that these things are bad - the OP asked what we find to be juvenile. I don’t care if you like MLP or Harry Potter or super hero movies. I, personally, find them to be childish and I choose to avoid them. I also avoid rap music, NASCAR, reality TV, and really spicy foods. I don’t condemn those who like those things, and I don’t think I should be judged on my preferences. > > I didn’t see any posts declaring that certain “juvenile” things should be outlawed or that people who are fans should be flogged and mocked. Sadly, I see more and more people seemingly offended or “victimized” if they like something that another person doesn’t like. Gee, that’s kinds juvenile, isn’t it?? I would interpret the declaration of something as “juvenile” as being criticism. The word has a distinct pejorative connotation, unlike “was originally targeted at tween girls but now also targets adults” (for My Little Pony") or “was always targeted explicitly at adult males” (for Marvel movies). ---
**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 19, 2018, 7:06pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/things-adults-do-that-you-find-mildly-juvenile/818141/100 "2018-07-19T19:06:14Z")
The definition of juvenile is “of or relating to children” on the first site that came up for me. I don’t see it a criticism, but each to his own, I guess. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/things-adults-do-that-you-find-mildly-juvenile/818141.md?page=4) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/things-adults-do-that-you-find-mildly-juvenile/818141.md?page=6)