# Why do small children have such limitless energy? **URL:** \ **Category:** Factual Questions\ **Created:** [April 22, 2010, 9:47pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-do-small-children-have-such-limitless-energy/537038 "2010-04-22T21:47:01Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 12\ **Page:** 2
**Author:** ![chappachula](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/d2c977/32.png) [@chappachula](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/chappachula)\ **Post date:** [April 23, 2010, 12:01pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-do-small-children-have-such-limitless-energy/537038/21 "2010-04-23T12:01:14Z")
> [@Keeve](#): > > But we’re not deliberately conserving the energy. We don’t say to a child, “I could run up and down the stairs with you, but then I’ll be too tired to do my other things”; rather, we can’t run around like kids do even if we tried. no, you could run around like kids if you tried. But you don’t try, because you’re an adult. For kids, it’s easy…they run up and donw the stairs, and then suddenly stop, lay down on Daddy’s shoulder, or even on the floor, and go to sleep. You could run up and down the stairs, too…if immediately afterwards, somebody would hold you on his shoulder let you go to sleep. ---
**Author:** ![Freudian\_Slit](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/5daacb/32.png) [@Freudian\_Slit](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Freudian_Slit)\ **Post date:** [April 23, 2010, 12:20pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-do-small-children-have-such-limitless-energy/537038/22 "2010-04-23T12:20:02Z")
> [@Geek\_Mecha](#): > > Kids seem to have short, high bursts of energy. They can literally run around nonstop for two hours, but they eventually crash. It’s possible that adults have the same relative levels of energy and fitness, but manage it to last the entire day. I think so, too. I’ve seen puppies like this, too. They run and play and frisk and frolic and then later you see them napping deeply. Sometimes I think I have more energy now as an adult. I wasn’t one of those running around kids–I was one of those “sit in the corner and read quietly” kids. Energy during gym and such was taken by force. Sure I’d play, but it definitely wasn’t for as long as you guys are describing. Half an hour or twenty minutes of tag was fine with me. Now I feel like I can walk longer distances without complaining or getting tired, I work out more, and so on. ---
**Author:** ![Hypno-Toad](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/b2d939/32.png) [@Hypno-Toad](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Hypno-Toad)\ **Post date:** [April 23, 2010, 12:42pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-do-small-children-have-such-limitless-energy/537038/23 "2010-04-23T12:42:05Z")
Here’s [my thread](http://boards.straightdope.com/sdmb/showthread.php?t=410982) about it from '07. ---
**Author:** ![Markxxx](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/5daacb/32.png) [@Markxxx](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Markxxx)\ **Post date:** [April 23, 2010, 1:02pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-do-small-children-have-such-limitless-energy/537038/24 "2010-04-23T13:02:57Z")
I think in a way adult ARE trying to conserve energy. They are just not aware of it. I also think we sell ourselves short. Like saying, “I could never do that.” You’d be surprised what you can do if you have to. Kids don’t know enough to think “If I use up all my energy now, I won’t be able to go dancing tonight.” As I said it’s not just people. My neighbor has an older dog (around 13) and a younger dog (about 2). The old man is such a friendly dog (except for the mailman), he loves everyone and is virtually never agressive (except for the mailman, who for some reason is his sworn enemy). It was a kick to see a few years back, the young, little puppy, push the old dog out of the way and take his food. But the older dog let him. So if I let the two dogs out, they’ll play for about 10 minutes, then the older dog says “OK I’m gonna go sit by the gate and watch the world go by.” If the younger dog tries to follow him and tries to play with him, the old man gets really testy and will give him the “teeth” and a nasty growl. As if to say “I played for ten minutes with you now BEAT IT.” As I said, the old dog won’t do that if the young one pushes him out of the way and takes this food. So in the face of a young pup with energy, even a nice older dog will not have the energy or patience to take the pent up energy. ---
**Author:** ![Keeve](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/f07891/32.png) [@Keeve](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Keeve)\ **Post date:** [April 23, 2010, 1:59pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-do-small-children-have-such-limitless-energy/537038/25 "2010-04-23T13:59:46Z")
Okay, so let’s change the question: Why is it that the youngsters want to do these things and the grups don’t? A grownup would never say, “Hey! A stairway! Wouldn’t it be cool to run up and down it a few times!” What puts such ideas into kids’ heads? I’m starting to think that these activities ARE intrinsically fun. Even a puppy quickly learns the rush that comes from exercize. The difference is that the adults know that the tradeoff is the crash to come, and we’d rather just go on the calm path. ---
**Author:** ![Shodan](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/9f8e36/32.png) [@Shodan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Shodan)\ **Post date:** [April 23, 2010, 2:29pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-do-small-children-have-such-limitless-energy/537038/26 "2010-04-23T14:29:42Z")
They have faster metabolisms ([cite](http://www.nlm.nih.gov/medlineplus/ency/article/003399.htm)). I don’t think it is a matter of consciously conserving energy, they just race around for two hours and then crash. Regards, Shodan ---
**Author:** ![Freudian\_Slit](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/5daacb/32.png) [@Freudian\_Slit](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Freudian_Slit)\ **Post date:** [April 23, 2010, 2:58pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-do-small-children-have-such-limitless-energy/537038/27 "2010-04-23T14:58:24Z")
> [@Keeve](#): > > Okay, so let’s change the question: Why is it that the youngsters want to do these things and the grups don’t? > > A grownup would never say, “Hey! A stairway! Wouldn’t it be cool to run up and down it a few times!” What puts such ideas into kids’ heads? > > I’m starting to think that these activities ARE intrinsically fun. Even a puppy quickly learns the rush that comes from exercize. The difference is that the adults know that the tradeoff is the crash to come, and we’d rather just go on the calm path. Maybe because it’s new? We’ve seen stairwells before so it’s the same old. To a kid, lots of little things are exciting. Like put a few kids alone in a bathroom and watch them play with the water in the sink. I bet if aliens put us in a totally new area with mazes made of cotton candy or something we’d be racing around. Or curled in a fetal position. But probably not leisurely strolling around taking strips of cotton candy as we went. ---
**Author:** ![zweisamkeit](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/zweisamkeit/32/4360_2.png) [@zweisamkeit](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/zweisamkeit)\ **Post date:** [April 23, 2010, 3:24pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-do-small-children-have-such-limitless-energy/537038/28 "2010-04-23T15:24:21Z")
> [@Freudian\_Slit](#): > > Maybe because it’s new? We’ve seen stairwells before so it’s the same old. To a kid, lots of little things are exciting. Like put a few kids alone in a bathroom and watch them play with the water in the sink. > > I bet if aliens put us in a totally new area with mazes made of cotton candy or something we’d be racing around. Or curled in a fetal position. But probably not leisurely strolling around taking strips of cotton candy as we went. Also, even if it’s not _new_ to them, it can still be used as a set-up for imaginary play. When I was little, I probably looked insane, running around my yard, darting and weaving, jumping and pointing, running up the deck steps and back down, etc. But it was all part of a pretend movie scene I was making up in my head. ---
**Author:** ![Freudian\_Slit](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/5daacb/32.png) [@Freudian\_Slit](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Freudian_Slit)\ **Post date:** [April 23, 2010, 4:26pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-do-small-children-have-such-limitless-energy/537038/29 "2010-04-23T16:26:26Z")
Definitely. I also remember little things being a huge deal. Like my brother and I would fill up plastic boxes that we used to hold our toys in, with water in the sink and play with our toys in it. Like a mini pool. And going to a _real_ pool was huge. You got to be in WATER! Sure, nowadays I love things like bubble baths and going to the pool, but after a point it becomes more, “Oh, that’s nice” and less, “HOLY SHIT, WE’RE GOING TO THE POOL/ZOO, etc.” ---
**Author:** ![Geek\_Mecha](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/ecae2f/32.png) [@Geek\_Mecha](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Geek_Mecha)\ **Post date:** [April 23, 2010, 9:34pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-do-small-children-have-such-limitless-energy/537038/30 "2010-04-23T21:34:35Z")
I sometimes look at a stairwell and think, “Awesome! Let me sprint up and pretend I’m James Bond going to kick a bad guy’s ass!” But I also imagine spraining my ankle, falling down the stairs and breaking my neck, colliding into the wall, and overexerting myself and feeling like a fat, out-of-shape wuss. I am, after all, a completely graceless, klutzy, out-of-shape wuss. Then I think about homeless people peeing in the stairwells, how I’m wearing shoes not suitable for running, I don’t want to fall and risk tearing my clothes, etc. Unless they’re extremely sheltered or neurotic, these things just don’t occur to kids. They don’t have the experience that allows these deterrents to be deterrents. ---
**Author:** ![chorpler](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/chorpler/32/2888_2.png) [@chorpler](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/chorpler)\ **Post date:** [April 23, 2010, 10:06pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-do-small-children-have-such-limitless-energy/537038/31 "2010-04-23T22:06:57Z")
How are we defining “energy” here? It seems to me that the “energy” kids have is the mental “I’m full of energy!” feeling, the kind that is associated with stimulants. I’m sure most adults (at least the ones who aren’t too out of shape) could run up and down the stairs or do other things that kids do, but they don’t because they don’t have that energetic mental feeling. Where does that feeling come from? ---
**Author:** ![Pushkin](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/ee59a6/32.png) [@Pushkin](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Pushkin)\ **Post date:** [April 23, 2010, 10:56pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-do-small-children-have-such-limitless-energy/537038/32 "2010-04-23T22:56:03Z")
> [@chappachula](#): > > no, you could run around like kids if you tried. But you don’t try, because you’re an adult. > > For kids, it’s easy…they run up and donw the stairs, and then suddenly stop, lay down on Daddy’s shoulder, or even on the floor, and go to sleep My daughter used to just nod off whenever she needed, leaning up against the sofa, eating lunch etc. If you don’t mind falling asleep where ever it is you are when you feel tired, you can do it too! [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-do-small-children-have-such-limitless-energy/537038.md?page=1)