61 Hilarious Moments When Men Proved They Never Really Grew Up At All

One of the biggest advantages that kids have over adults is that they’re constantly curious about the world.

As Jeff Wetzler, Ed.D., explains in a post on Psychology Today, curiosity tends to fade with age. However, it doesn’t have to if you stay open to learning from other people, question your assumptions, and look for role models. On the flip side, your curiosity fades when you think you already know everything or face social pressure.

By embracing curiosity, you get access to new perspectives, improve your relationships, and learn more deeply. “Curiosity isn’t just for children. It’s what fuels innovation, builds deep relationships, and makes life more exciting,” he states.

According to Wetzler, curiosity is contagious. So, if you want to rediscover it, you should look for other people, potential role models, who have already embraced curiosity.

“The important thing is that they [the role model] show us what curiosity can look like and give us a sense of permission to get more curious ourselves,” he writes on Psychology Today.

What’s more, you should try to treat other people as valuable sources of learning. The reality is, however, that people tend to ask fewer new questions about family, friends, or coworkers whom they have known for a long time.

They may have changed significantly over the months and years, but we might have missed this.

“To counter this, we can make a habit of asking deeper, open-ended questions—not just about facts, but about how others think and feel,” Wetzler suggests.

He adds that you should always ask yourself what you can learn from a specific person, so that you’re open to new insights.

Another challenge to staying curious about the world is assuming that you already understand something so fully that you don’t need to question anything. Human beings tend to focus on familiar patterns that reinforce their views, while also overlooking gaps in their knowledge.

Meanwhile, it’s healthy to be slightly skeptical of your own knowledge. Question yourself. Ask yourself if you’re missing something, what things look like from alternate perspectives, and what else might be true.

According to the Los Angeles Times, some of the main ways to teach yourself to generate childlike wonder include the following:

1. Look for awe in the mundane, as well as in surprising places
2. Allow yourself to be more playful and do the things that you love
3. Connect with people who brighten your life
4. Slow down and appreciate the things you take for granted
5. Create new daily rituals like ‘awe walks’ where you observe the beauty of the world around you and focus on the details, as well as the big picture

Meanwhile, one of the biggest challenges of adulthood is becoming a parent. Even though raising kids is very much worth it, it can also be utterly exhausting and stressful. So, you might not have the mental or emotional capacity to behave in childlike ways.

As per psychotherapist and author Anna Mathur, if you’re struggling to find the joy in parenting, one of the things you can do is look for ‘glimmers’ in your daily life.

“Your day might not feel beautiful, but there will be beautiful things in your day. Sometimes we need to lower the bar for the things that bring us joy so that we’re able to experience glimmers of positivity more often,” she suggests.

Something else that you can focus on is developing a strong social network. You want to feel connected, like you’re a part of a larger community. It’s a fundamental human need. So, it helps to surround yourself with supportive people who are empathetic and understand what you’re going through.

In the meantime, it’s also healthy to accept the fact that things are simply difficult sometimes. Be honest with yourself about how you feel. You can be optimistic and hopeful and grateful, but you also can’t exist in a state of perpetual joy. “Choose to acknowledge how you feel without judgement, it’s simply a response to your circumstances,” Mathur says.

If you’re a parent, then you know that you’re not always in the mood to play with your children. And you might feel guilty about having those feelings.

As Lawrence J. Cohen, Ph.D., notes in a piece on Psychology Today, it’s “perfectly normal” for parents not to feel like playing all the time. It’s healthy to acknowledge these feelings and be true to your authentic self. Eventually, you’ll recharge and be playful once again.

According to Cohen, if parents feel playful, they should play with their kids. However, “if you aren't 100 percent into it, but you can manage a bit of playfulness with a stretch, then give yourself a gentle push to take that stretch.”

But if you’re feeling anything but playful, you should be kind to yourself and acknowledge that you may be sad, tired, or anxious. “That acknowledgment might be all you need to be able to take a lighthearted step toward your child and let your forgotten playfulness arise in you.”

However, if you’re still feeling overwhelmed, don’t force yourself to do anything. Be authentic to your emotions while also being kind to those around you.

“You can gently tell your children you need to get some feelings out before you are ready to play, then take care of those feelings by sharing them with a trusted friend, or by spending time with a journal or your own thoughts. Let the tears out. Exercise or get out in nature. Your child will be there ready to play once you are recharged and your playful heart is reawakened,” Cohen writes.

We’d like to hear your thoughts in the comments, dear Pandas! Which of these photos made you laugh the hardest? Meanwhile, which ones inspired you to be a bit more childish in your daily life?

How do you stay playful and curious even though you’ve got tons of adult responsibilities? How in tune with your inner child would you say that you are? Let us know in the comments at the bottom of this post.