I am so tired of being judged for what I like to do in my free time, and I have begun to feel that this isn’t just a problem with me. For years now, I have been made to feel that certain things that make me happy are for some reason immature and not becoming of someone claiming to be an adult. If you are reading this, you either completely understand what I am talking about, or you’re scratching your head in a confused manner. I can assure you, I am not making this up, and I want to clear the air because I know of at least 2 excuses an individual would throw at someone experiencing this same problem.

"To each his own."

Many people have hobbies, and I don’t believe anyone should be debased as a person for doing what makes them happy. My father, for instance, likes to watch UFO shows on television, ranging from credible documentaries that discuss the phenomenon, to really out of this world conspiracy videos on YouTube. He cannot get enough of that genre. He enjoys learning and contemplating what is possible when it comes to extraterrestrial life, and it sometimes makes me think my father missed his calling in becoming a Xenobiologist. Some people would look at this following and tell him he is crazy. Some would tell him he is wasting his time. Regardless of those people’s opinions on the matter, it makes my father happy. Though people think his UFO hobby is a bit odd, he isn't called a child for enjoying what he enjoys. He also enjoys gardening, watching political commentary, and indulging in the latest science fiction movies at the box office. Those are the things that make him happy when he isn’t working 5 days a week to put food on the table. I respect that and support him in all his extracurricular activities. There seems to be an exception in this type of behavior though and that is what I will be addressing here.

“Grow up.”

Like my father, I have my own hobbies. And I cannot begin to tell you how many times I have been told to “grow up” because of the things that I personally like to do in my spare time. For example, I enjoy watching cartoons. It is something that has always brought be joy in my life, and has maintained a bit of innocence in me when it comes to consuming media. Sometimes, when people find out that I watch cartoons, their response to me is a sarcastic and demeaning, “How old are you?” To this, I answer my age and respond with a glare of resentment for the posed question. What is even worse is when I am told that I should “grow up” and stop doing a particular thing that makes me happy. If these same people found out I enjoyed watching the HBO series Game of Thrones for instance (which I actually do), they wouldn’t bat an eye. With all violence and explicit sexual content, how could Game of Thrones not be an adult pastime right? My question to those individuals is why is it that something a child can enjoy is not socially expectable for an adult to enjoy as well? I love anime, and anyone who knows anything about anime can tell you that the stories told in the genre can range from innocent to adult. I am not really picky with anime though, and will watch the late 90’s anime Yu-Gi-Oh! one day, and on another something serious like Psycho Pass. When certain people see that I am watching animation however, the content of the show has no bearing on their opinion and they immediately condescend me for watching something that in their mind is exclusively for a child. My answer to these individuals is don’t judge me for what I enjoy because of your misconception of reality. I am an adult and what I do in my free time that makes me happy does not make me any less of one.

“Freaking Millennials.”

This is a fun one to address. I was born in 1991. Because of this, I did most of my growing up in the 90s and early 2000s. This just barely puts me in the category of individuals known as “millennials.” This group I am a part of has attained a stigma that people like my mother and father ascribe to. Millennials are apparently known to be highly nostalgic about the things that they grew up with and flock to those things in their adult life. Many people see this behavior and point it out to be nothing more than a childish and unhealthy clinging on to the past. I, however, as an adult, can assess this obsession and understand it far better than those who are quick to judge me.

Growing up in the 90’s and early 2000’s, we millennials were being reared in a time where technology was on the rise in a way that had never been seen before. Not only that but as time progressed, technology got increasingly better, faster. If one thinks about it, in a span of about 15 years, we went from cassettes/VHS tapes to CDs/DVDs, to digital downloads for just about any and all media you can think of. The internet has expanded to the point that Amazon can get you almost anything you could want in 2 days or less. This makes access to those shows and products that we millennials grew up with very easy. Since we have access, we can indulge in those same things that we so enjoyed as kids; things that are full of positive memories and happy feelings. It is why people like myself will go back and watch cartoons like Dragon Ball Z and yes, even Sailor Moon because I grew up with both of those shows after school on Toonami. Watching those shows in my spare time makes me happy because I so enjoyed them as a kid, and to this very day, I find they have positive social critiques, adventure, and solid entertainment value. Just because I am part of a group of individuals that has been fortunate enough to grow up in a time where we have the ability to revisit things from our childhoods does not make me any less of an adult. What I do in my free time, as long as it doesn’t hurt myself or anyone around me shouldn’t have any bearing on my status as an adult.

So, I enjoy eating a childhood snack my mother would pack me in my lunchbox that I bought off of Amazon, it makes me happy. So, I like watching old episodes of Doug after work, again, that too makes me happy. It makes me happy to watch Star Wars: The Clone Wars, occasionally play games of the Yu-Gi-Oh! card game with my buddies or even wander about a park playing Pokémon Go. If you judge me based on my hobbies, the things that make me happy, solely on your misguided sense of what makes someone an adult, then you really need to reanalyze what the world has told you makes an individual a grown up. It is worth mentioning that as a child, my mother gave me some solid life advice. She told not to ever be quick to judge someone because you treat others the way you want to be treated. If you ask me, that is what makes someone an adult, not what they do in their free time.