Grownups

I'm totally stealing this from the comment section of another blog I read. It's a response to someone who said that, as adults, if we liked the subject idea, we can't possibly be "real" adults, and should therefore grow up a bit. Neuffy, the responder, summarized exactly what I thought of this, better than I ever could, so I quote from him directly. Check out the links after the quote to see what he's talking about.

"Neuffy Says:

"The serious work of either a marriage or raising kids?

"Regarding free time: Of course there is copious free time. If you don’t have such amounts of free time, why have you arranged your life that way? From the tone of your comment, it seems that you think those things that are not practical or “serious” are not worthwhile. In my experience, it is precisely those things that are most precious.

"Sure, they aren’t what “grown-ups” do, but that is precisely the point of the comic: “Because we’re grown-ups now, and it’s our turn to decide what that means.” As long as the basic necessities of life are not being neglected (income/sanitation/hygiene/nutrition/etc), then this is the “serious work” of life.

Examples of things that I group in with ball-pits: An afternoon couching. An evening fire with dry ice and water-filled bottles. Fancy dress for a no-occasion dinner out. Snow forts/Igloos. Ticklefights. Lego nights. Dress-up parties. Strange-food dinner (eg. peanut butter pizza). Impromptu public plays.

"The reason this resonates so intensely with such a large number of people is precisely because it involves the kind of life-definition that seems sadly lacking in the archtypes laid out for us as life-models.

"Then again, maybe I’m just baised. My parents were a musician and an artist, and they did what they loved throughout their lives, and managed to raise children while doing so. They didn’t make the kind of sacrifice that it seems is being implied. I’ve also seen what I feel is the near-inevitable end result of self-sacrifice in the name of “maturity”: People who are burnt-out, inactive, have routines and habits set in stone, and really do not take joy from life.

"I know which life I want. I think that this idea symbolizes the choice of favoring strangeness and joy over practicality and seriousness."

Hear, hear!

If you managed to read this far, check out these links:
The comic that started it all.
The Blog to go with the comic that started it all.
A company that installed a ball pit.
And so did Google: Scroll to "Kidtastrophe."

Now, using Xkcd's Ball Pit Calculator, you may all donate to my fund. I need about $5000 to create a ball pit in our spare room.