Were you an outdoor kid, but became an indoor adult?

[Night Elf]

When I was a kid, I spent every waking moment outside playing with friends. Even as a teen, we preferred to be outside. But now as an adult, I hate the outdoors. We have a lovely greenway trail that DH loves to run on. He's taken me for walks and I do find it a nice walk, but I still don't like going. I just don't like being outdoors and I can't really explain it.

[wintermom]

Are you going outside with all the right "equipment," such as comfortable shoes, clothes, sunglasses? Are the bugs an issue? What is it about the outdoors that is turning you off now? It's supposedly very good for us to spend a minimum of 15 minutes outdoors daily. Sometimes staying inside just becomes a habit and breaking free from the inertia of staying put requires some effort. It's totally worth it, though.

[almondbutterandjelly]

Yes!  I lived in Missouri for a big chunk of my childhood, and we literally had a forest for our backyard.  It was wonderful.  As an adult, I live in South Texas, and I only really go outside between the house and car.  I like to be outside in a more temperate climate, but not here.  And I loathe the beach.  I live for our vacations to places with trees and green.

[Pawz4me]

I've never enjoyed being outside just to be outside.  Especially if it's too hot or humid.  I really don't get just going outside to sit because it's . . . outside.

 

But if I have an enjoyable, purposeful activity to do (walking the dogs, yard work, etc.) and the weather is nice, then I don't mind at all.

[elegantlion]

I find myself wanting to be indoors more. I never liked the snow or cold and humidity gets to me. I like walking and hiking, but I have to drive to the trails. 

 

Where we used to live we had a forest in the back yard (literally). I loved being outside there in good weather, which was about 3 months. But bugs and snakes were an issue and ds learned to hate bugs. 

 

I like to sit on my deck or porch, but in our yard there is nothing to do. Now if we had a pool, I'd be out there all the time. I like having stuff to do, our yard is too small for much. 

[Catwoman]

Are you going outside with all the right "equipment," such as comfortable shoes, clothes, sunglasses? Are the bugs an issue? What is it about the outdoors that is turning you off now? It's supposedly very good for us to spend a minimum of 15 minutes outdoors daily. Sometimes staying inside just becomes a habit and breaking free from the inertia of staying put requires some effort. It's totally worth it, though.

I think the "15 minute rule" depends at least in part on the air quality where you live. If the air quality is terrible, I'm not convinced that being outside is necessarily as beneficial as people may think.

[Night Elf]

Are you going outside with all the right "equipment," such as comfortable shoes, clothes, sunglasses? Are the bugs an issue? What is it about the outdoors that is turning you off now? It's supposedly very good for us to spend a minimum of 15 minutes outdoors daily. Sometimes staying inside just becomes a habit and breaking free from the inertia of staying put requires some effort. It's totally worth it, though.

 

Oh yeah, I am properly outfitted when we walk. I have a great pair of Brooks running shoes. I always wear sunglasses. I don't mind bugs that don't mess with me but I don't like sweat bugs or mosquitoes. DH would like me to take our son out for a walk every day but it just seems like a hassle to drive to the park and our neighborhood isn't made for walking. It's one short street off a busy highway. I'm thankful we don't have a lot of yard work because DH does it all. I definitely don't like critters like frogs and snakes. Ugh, just thinking about them makes me shudder.

[fairfarmhand]

If I had nothing to do outdoors, (I live on a farm, so there's lots to see and do and look at) and walking meant I had to drive to do it, I wouldn't want to be outside either.

 

However, I do love the outdoors because I find so much to see and do and look at out there.

 

I think I'd shrivel up and die in a subdivision or city.

 

Is it more "This is rather dull" or just "I don't like it out here." ?

 

If you take your son for a walk each day, perhaps you could focus on the quality time you will be getting with him, the exercise that will be good for your and his body or something else positive, rather than just the outdoor aspect.

 

I do know that if we've had bad weather for awhile and I've been trapped inside, I get a sort of lethargy that makes it harder to get out and do outdoor stuff, especially if the nicer weather is not *perfect*.

[Liz CA]

I grew up in what I would call more temperate climate and ran outside all day long when out of school. Now, I would like to be more outside but during the summer months I'd die from heat stroke around here. It's bad enough indoors...:(

[Sobeknofret]

Yes! When I was a kid I was never indoors, except to sleep. Now, I don't want to even leave my house much. I do try and combat it as much as I can, but it's a tough thing for me.

[T'smom]

I was the opposite, I was an indoor kid and now I am an outdoor adult! (Except in the winter.)I'm sure in my case it was because of the climate. I moved somewhere much colder than it was where I grew up. Much. Now, I crave being outside whenever the weather is decent. We get little sun and it is so cold for so long, we have to make up for it in the summer. My parents are not outdoor people at ALL and when they were visiting last week, we didn't go out much. One day I took the trash out around noon and with just that little sun exposure, my mood soared. I went back inside and insisted that my kids go for a walk with me.

[Murphy101]

Me. I don't mind hiking or getting dirty or whatever. But my older bones don't appreciate hard beds or extremes in temperatures, my palette has expanded beyond hotdogs, I notice more when I'm being eaten alive by Mosquitos and ticks than I did as a kid, and frankly, I think about a lot of things I didn't think about when I was a kid. Like swimming lake water basicly means you are swimming in the biggest toilet ever and with things that like to eat things that live best in toilet eater.

 

So I "can" rough it.

 

I just feel little desire to spend money to do so if I can possibly avoid it in my older years.

[1GirlTwinBoys]

I enjoyed hanging outside with friends when I was young and a teen, but not for nature type stuff.  We just liked swinging on my front porch or taking walks.  I've never liked the woods because of bugs and things I don't really want to ever see.  I don't mind going in our woods once it's been cold enough to kill off the ticks and things like that.

 

I've ALWAYS loved sitting on a front porch though and insist every house we've owned have a nice one.

[Luanne]

I loved being outside as a child and as a teenager.  I don't like being outside now. I have allergies (to trees and grass), am allergic to wasps, and would just rather be inside now.  I don't mind being outside for a bit as long as it isn't too cold, too hot, and I have a place to sit down.

[Seasider]

I love being out doors but will make a confession to you fellow moms. I hate having to meet everyone else's "equipment" needs to make more outdoor adventuring possible. I like to travel light, hiking whiners wear me out, etc. I love my kids along when they don't need pampering and have enthusiasm for the activity, but having to be the Molly Brown of the great outdoors sometimes discourages me.

 

I do spend time outdoors whenever I can but with so much always needing to be done INside, I have to be intentional about that outside time.

[Garga]

I never much liked it as a child, but some things were tolerable or even exciting. Snow was exciting and I wanted to be in it no matter how cold I got. Heat was tolerable IF I had friends with me and we were reeeeeally into whatever game we were playing.

 

I've never been outdoorsy and I'm just getting worse about it. When I have friends who say after dinner, "Why don't we build a fire and sit around it in the backyard?" that's my cue to leave. I really hate that.

 

For me, I hate the outdoors because:

 

1. I'm allergic to mosquitoes. I get HUGE bites and many of them every single time I'm outside after dark for more than 15 minutes. Every time. Huge bites. Many of them.

 

2. I burn easily in the sun. So...if I avoid the mosquitoes, then I'm out in the sunshine getting burnt to a little crisp. Unless I wear that nasty sunblock.

 

3. I have allergies. And, of course, they come in the early spring before the searing sun and mosquitoes are out. I can walk to the next door neighbor's house (and we live close together) and be sneezing before I get there. It will take 20 minutes of being indoors to undo the sneezy/watery-eye damage of a 50 foot walk

 

4. I think I'm a bit anemic because I get cold very easily and it is painful to me. I hurt when I'm cold.

 

This means that no matter what time of the year, it's painful to be outside. I'm either sneezing my head off, in pain from the cold, am suffering from a dozen huge painful mosquito bites, or am getting skin-cancer causing sunburns.

 

No thanks.

 

The older I get the more I'm just saying, "Nope, not gonna do it," when it comes to outdoor events.

[Meadowlark]

I was beginning to think I was abnormal. I'm not a fan of the outdoors either. I burn easily, don't like to sweat, and loathe bugs. Where I live, those pesky gnats make me miserable. The problem is I have 5 little kids and so I have to be outdoors some of the time. I feel guilty I am not the fun mom, mostly the mom sitting in the shade telling the kids to go play.

[Spryte]

I was an outdoors kid.  I rode horses, and spent every moment outside.  My family was a backpacking family.  I grew up to choose a field that involved outdoor fieldwork, and required backcountry trekking.  I collected mountain ranges, and have camped more places than I can remember.

 

My 30s were stolen by a series of tick borne diseases.  I'm lucky to be alive, and lucky that I can walk.  Every day I make the trek to the laundry room I am grateful.  I probably won't ever be the same.

 

So, yep, I am now a mostly indoors adult.  I love museums, I love cities, and I love being outside and doing things.  But I don't camp, I don't backcountry trek any more, and I love to look at mountains more than I love to camp in them now.  I still have the gear, and it sits in our garage, in storage, waiting for my courage to come back.

[wintermom]

Well, it's often 85+ degrees with humidity in the summer and - 20 with wind-chill in the winter, sun is only around a few hours a day in the winter, I have environmental allergies to tree pollens and ragweed, and our mosquitos are fierce and plenty. Despite this, I can't image staying indoors everyday. I'd get cabin fever for sure, in fact I usually do when it's stormy in the winter and I just can't get outside. There is definitely something special about being outside, with the trees and flowers, even the snow and ice.