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An Unusual Hobby for you- the parent


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So, what if you found a hobby (other than reading) which you found to be relaxing, refreshing, interesting, and somewhat creative.  But you find out that your adult friends think it's weird and even make jokes and comments about it.  It's PERFECTLY appropriate and clean, and other adults have this same hobby.  In essence, it's no different than something like counted cross stitch or paint by number.  AND yet, it's considered "only for kids"

 

Would you pursue it anyway or just assume you are a dork and should find something else (other than reading)?

 

And yes 10 points to the first person who guesses it.

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Colouring in?

 

I would think the people teasing me were immature or pulling my leg for something to do and carry on doing what I liked. If it was something craft related, I might must make them one for a present to see if they could be polite about it and laugh at them if they couldn't.

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I like to color. I have Mom-only prismacolors (I make the kids use Crayola), I have Mom-only coloring books, and yes - I have dedicated Mom-space on the art wall (the kids don't get the whole wall). I even used to bring coloring books to work, and would often color during meetings and on airplanes.  Some of my co-workers knitted, some did Facebook, some worked out; I colored.

 

Everyone thinks I'm a huge dork.  Maybe I am. :)

 

I can think of worse things to be, and coloring is only a fraction of what makes me so!

 

Do you ..... play dress up? LOL

 

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Do it anyway.

 

When my dd got too old for her gel pens, she let me have them. I used them to make cute little postcard/collage/conceptual art thingies that were sort of like what would happen if Post Secret had an illicit affair with Lisa Frank.

 

Definitely more appropriate for a 13 year old than a 35 year old, but they relaxed me and didn't hurt anyone.

 

One of the things I like about this board is how comfortable people are talking about dork/nerd/introvert pastimes. It's probably not that unusual that we LIKE them, but it's refreshing that we can be open about it.

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I love to color.  I have no artistic talent at all but I love choosing colors and making something pretty.  I have my own crayons, colored pencils, coloring books.  My favorites are the goofy Precious Moments kids, and some books that are just designs.  Either crazy geometric randomness, or celtic knots.

 

My oldest used to color with me all the time.  She brought her own set of coloring books and crayons to school with her. :001_smile:

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Go for it and just snark back at friends or ignore them. I was thinking the rainbow loom at first, but that is just because I really want one for myself. but I don't want any rubberbands around. :)

 

I get into all sorts of hobbies and love them all. One of my favorites recently that I failed to get any of my other friends into was hooping -- hey, are you hooping?

 

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If your friends make fun of you for your hobbies -- beyond a little ligthearted teasing -- you need some new friends. It's sad that any hobbies are considered just for kids. Our old nanny loved coloring, so many of the gifts we bought her were fancy coloring books & nice pencils or markers.

 

If your hobby is something kids like, volunteer to teach / help scout troops, youth groups, after-school clubs, etc. and you will find yourself with plenty of new friends who do appreciate your talents!

 

My husband and i have hobbies that range from "childish" to "insane" according to others. We tend to spend our time with the friends who consider them interesting and want to join in.

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I would do whatever the heck I wanted to do and get some new friends who don't make fun of me!

 

Haven't read the rest of the thread so I don't know if it has been guessed, but my guess is coloring...like with crayons in a coloring book.   I have a friend who does this and she is 30.  I never made fun of her.  My littlest buys her coloring books.  :)

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I have a friend who does this and she is 30.  I never made fun of her.  My littlest buys her coloring books.  :)

 

That's adorable.

 

My friend's 8 year old gave me a stack of coloring books she had outgrown ;) it still ranks as one of the most thoughtful gifts I've ever received.

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AMDG

 

Paint by number?

 

I do what I do and love and continue to do it without worrying about whether other ppl like it or like that I do it.  

 

I embroider by hand.  I love doing it.  You really wouldn't believe the number of people who like to tell me that I'm not doing it rightly.  When my grandmother passed away I discovered a ton of her old hand embroidery.  It made me want to learn to keep a connection with her alive after she was gone. I just picked up a needle and floss and got started.  I do try to learn some things from books and/or videos but, no matter how you look at it, I'm just a self taught bumbler.  Strangers will often stop and compliment my work or ask questions, et c. but acquaintances, people who actually know me, frequently criticize my technique.  Do I care?  No, not even a little!  I like my finished products and am glad that I do it and view my way as the quirky real way!

 

Now, that doesn't apply to everything I don't think.  I don't really understand stage fright but I seriously suffer from it.  I would say that I really am not concerned with whether ppl like my stuff or not but, with fiddle playing, I just cannot do it in front of people.  I even tremble in the presence of my teacher!  Sometimes she has to just take my word for whether I'm ready to move on or not.  My husband never hears me play, ever.  Our Lord, my daughter, dog, and cat are the only ones who hear me play outside of lessons.  I even get a break on price b/c I don't play at group events.  Honestly, I don't understand this.  I don't think it's about what people think but . . . there it is.

 

 

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Coloring!!  

 

LOL but you guys are making me feel so much better for being a dork.  Also, I come from a line on my mother's side of very handy, capable people who cook, knit, sew, paint, and have all kinds of hobbies which, a generation ago, actually produced something usable or able to be given as gifts.

 

I have tried knitting (I would like to try again), crocheting, embroidery, and counted cross stitch, and did not enjoy any of them.  I have tried Scrapbooking and greatly enjoyed it but the time and effort to collect all the physical materials began to consume my life and so I plan to pick that up again when my kids graduate from homeschooling.  I love volunteering, helping others, reading...but I need a hobby which I can just do "when I am in the mood" and not feel burdened about never finishing it.  SO that is why I like to color.  

 

You guys also crack me up- I would probably kill myself with hooping b/c I am not very coordinated.  I think you have me all interested in the Rainbow Loom.  My dd loves to make pot holders.  Which surprised me, because she is the free form, creative type who usually doesn't like repetitive tasks.  I love hearing about your hobbies!  

 

 

 

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I hope you find some new friends who will be supportive, show interest, and appreciate the awesomeness that is having an activity that relaxes you (without being expensive or time-consuming). 

 

I would totally keep doing it.

 

I used to think "getting pregnant" was my only hobby. Nowadays, I'd probably list 'on-going homeschool investigations.' (That's what I call my continuous research into homeschool curricula & lately, high school courses.) Even my homeschooling mom friends think I'm a geek for that. ;-) Better than having to give birth again!

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I love to color and so does my 25 year old daughter.  We have crayons and coloring books... colored pencils and markers... my grandmother loved to color. 

 

My daughter and I talked about getting this box that has trucks in it and sharing it for Christmas.  My mother didn't think it was odd that we would want to play with them in the living room. 

 

If you love doing it, just keep doing it.  ... get new friends if you need to.

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Coloring!!

 

LOL but you guys are making me feel so much better for being a dork. Also, I come from a line on my mother's side of very handy, capable people who cook, knit, sew, paint, and have all kinds of hobbies which, a generation ago, actually produced something usable or able to be given as gifts.

 

I have tried knitting (I would like to try again), crocheting, embroidery, and counted cross stitch, and did not enjoy any of them. I have tried Scrapbooking and greatly enjoyed it but the time and effort to collect all the physical materials began to consume my life and so I plan to pick that up again when my kids graduate from homeschooling. I love volunteering, helping others, reading...but I need a hobby which I can just do "when I am in the mood" and not feel burdened about never finishing it. SO that is why I like to color.

 

You guys also crack me up- I would probably kill myself with hooping b/c I am not very coordinated. I think you have me all interested in the Rainbow Loom. My dd loves to make pot holders. Which surprised me, because she is the free form, creative type who usually doesn't like repetitive tasks. I love hearing about your hobbies!

I do rubber stamping and I love coloring the stamped images!

 

You are not alone!

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I remember my mom coloring with me when I was a kid.  She clearly enjoyed it.  I would continue with a hobby that I enjoyed no matter what people said.  I think it's sad if friends are making fun of you!  A little teasing, ok, but to the point where you are considering not doing it?  That's not ok!  

 

I don't really have a hobby.  I spend any free time I have exercising (it's few and far between!), but I do like kids' music a lot.  In fact, my kids are asleep and I'm listening to a Spanish kid cd.

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I want the tshirt that says something like "Geocaching....using billion-military satellites to find tupperware hidden in the woods." Only fun with big caches. Don't make me hunt for a nano.

 

Give me a nano any day!  Darn those big ammo cans in the woods... they elude me WAY more often than urban nanos do!

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Give me a nano any day! Darn those big ammo cans in the woods... they elude me WAY more often than urban nanos do!

No way. I made lanyards with little giraffe beads (our geocache username) to leave in those ammo cans! Worst nano was a penny glued to the top of a dinky tube pressed into the dirt. That's nothin' but evil.

 

Besides, you can't fit a travel bug that's been to, say, Denmark in a nano.

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My sister and I used to make very big, very complicated friendship bracelets when I was ten and she was 12.  My dd tried it and did not have either the patience or coordination either!  I don't know--I think a lot of it has to do with desire.  

 

And/or experience working through frustration, level of perfectionism, and so forth.

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