Why we want to become children again

The opinions expressed in this article are those of the author and do not reflect the views of his campus.

This article is written by a student writer from the Her Campus at USF chapter.

In 2021, the Lego Company launched a new line of botanical Lego sets, featuring relatively realistic bouquets of red roses, a bonsai tree, a bird of paradise, succulents, wreaths and much more. Since their release, LEGO sets have become extremely popular, particularly with young adults and older age groups. I participated in this LEGO resurgence, and while building my first botanical set (a white orchid in a gray pot), I was hit with a wave of not only nostalgia, but also momentary peace.

The more mature look of the LEGO Botanical collection has managed to bring many adults back to a simple activity they once enjoyed as children, putting something together and watching it come to life. The building process requires reading the instructions carefully, taking all the parts into account, and devoting your full attention to something just for its own sake, rather than for work or profit. All of these activities are extremely difficult to achieve in the adult world, often falling by the wayside because we are constantly too busy or because little or no value is placed on them. Our culture promotes constant productivity with little room for hobbies and interests, stipulating that the principles of curiosity, learning, creativity, and non-work-related interests are reserved only for children.

In many online spaces like TikTok and Instagram, we’ve seen a resurgence of people drawn to the hobbies, interests, and passions they had as kids. This includes everything from Legos, adult coloring books, crafts, collecting trinkets and toys (i.e. Smiski and Mini brands), watching shows and drawings animated films for children and listening to music from their adolescence. Jokes about “going back to childhood” are based in truth, because that’s essentially what we’re all looking for: a way to return to the simplicity and joy that comes with being a child. Seeking refuge in enjoyable, quiet, and healthy activities provides us with a time where we can let our creative, flexible minds run free and enjoy something for its own sake, not because we have to for the sake of it. money, status or to meet the expectations of society.

Another aspect of our desire to preserve part of our childhood is that we have found that younger generations are growing up more quickly. The arrival and dominant force of social media has, in many ways, eradicated the adolescent phase from many children’s lives. TikTok, Instagram and Snapchat are online spaces that promote and foster the sexualization of young adolescents, particularly adolescent girls. In order to keep up with increasingly sexual and suggestive trends, both in types of content and in clothing, young people are behaving more maturely than their counterparts of years past, abandoning toys for electronic devices, makeup, training equipment, etc. Many joke that the “awkward tween” phase no longer exists and children move from being children to young adults. For those of us who see these children forcing themselves to grow up – and often in very dangerous ways – it is saddening and reminds us of our own childhood and our disconnections from it. We are forced to look at our lives and realize what aspects of ourselves we have lost in trying to keep up with others, and why it is so important to restore them.

It is in reflecting on our past that we find insight and realize how wise we were as children. Allowing ourselves to explore our interests, creating for the sole purpose of exercising our imagination, and treating ourselves with patience are all ways we can “become kids again” in our adult lives.