Do you enjoy watching children play?

Yes, absolutely. It’s such a window into innocence. I like the way you describe it @Mimishu1995.

Of course, as a big ole white guy, I can’t exactly hang out at a park and watch children, unless I’m trying to get arrested.

Yes, on playground equipment or playing sports.

When I retired, I planned to get an annual pass to Disneyland, and spend many mornings sitting on Main Street just watching the joy on everyones faces coming into the park.

Yeah, definitely.

It’s delightful. I almost have a hard time imagining people who wouldn’t enjoy that.

Yes, it’s much like watching animals play, especially the youngsters. It gives me a very joyful feeling. It’s also somewhat bittersweet because I remember those days, and also because I know they have to grow up and see the world as it really is.

I took a writing course in the 80s, on writing for children. The mentor told me to go watch children playing and take notes. Good instincts Mimi.

I do.

Nice try, FBI.

As someone who wasn’t blessed to have children, it’s an automatic consequence that I don’t have any grands!!! I get pure joy watching children learning as they grow. The pure pleasure that they receive out of the small things in life is contagious. When I wake up to a bad morning, my first stop is a Youtube search of “babies laughing”. Then allow the links to take me down that rabbit hole of happy children enjoying their life. The other search that helps are “baby animals”. You can’t stay in a bad mood after watching some puppies, kittens, or maybe a baby elephant doing what they do. Baby goats are so uncordinated that they are hilarious as they learn to control their bodies!!! Sometimes the “babies laughing” will automatically take me to the “baby animals” before the end of the journey. It can be a pleasant way to enjoy your morning!!!

There was an entertainer back in the 70’s named Gallagher. He was the one who smashed the watermelons over his audience. He had a 2 y/o daughter & he was always sharing what she was observing out of her “new eyes”. It gave me a new appreciation of the innocence of children & how they see life before adults ruins it for them.

I wish I had time to say more, but for now I’ll leave it to Cat Stevens:
Where Do the Children Play?

I’m allergic to kids.

@cookieman my job as a teacher exposes me to children playing constantly. I just can’t avoid it. My coworkers may dismiss it as stupid matter but I realize I get joy from watching them.

@smudges I do feel nostalgic watching them play too. I see my younger self in the games because I used to engage in some of those as a kid. The difference was that I didn’t really have genuine friends as a kid so it also feels like a childhood that I didn’t have. I do notice some kids that try hard to be accepted in the games and that is sad but fascinating to see.

@LadyMarissa It gave me a new appreciation of the innocence of children & how they see life before adults ruins it for them.

Funnily enough my story is about a child who has to face seeing his innocent assumptions of things being ruined by the adults around him. The challenge for him is to maintain his good nature in the face of it. I really want to capture the pureness I see in children in the most convincing way.

I like watching them play together. So cute watching them share with each other and cooperate. Warms my heart when the kids, especially siblings, obviously love and help each other.

@Blackberry I’m the Mafia, not the FBI. Please don’t associate me with my enemy ~

Yes, that could be a fatally deadly mistake! ;-o

My husband and I frequent a family friendly Biergarten on the lake and we watch the children play. There’s a game they play that we call Shoe. Somehow a child in the group always loses a shoe and it becomes a game of hot potato. It’s probably a form of bullying because they toss the shoe between everyone except the shoe owner but it’s fun to watch while we drink our beer. :D

welcome back @jonsblond!