Well just to name a couple things i still love to watch cartoons and even play with toys every once in a while. I actually don't know if these would be considered hobbies per say but certain people would definitely consider them childish. No one has ever made fun of or criticized me for being childish and that's because i do everything i can to keep my childlike behavior hidden. I also don't want anyone finding out about it because i fear being criticized, especially by my Dad because while i wouldn't say he's a mean or abusive father at all, he has been doing everything he can in recent years to turn me and my brother into fine young men so if he ever found out how much i still wanted to be a kid i think he would be quite disappointed in me.
I understand your fear of your father’s potential disapproval, but this is who you are. Millions of Adults do play with toys all the time! Millions engage in “childish things” such as legos, cosplay, stuffed animals, coloring books and crayons, going on “childish” carnival rides, collecting action figures, etc. These are all multi million dollar industries due to adults collecting, using, and playing with these items! I know several adults who still “play” with beanie babies, or sleep with stuffed animals. I know several who have amazing hot wheels or matchbox toy car collections they started in their childhood. Others collect plastic animals, minifigs, 1/6 action figures, etc. None of these adults have children around the house and proudly admit their toys are for themselves alone.
Some even make a good living at so called childish endeavors- buying and selling collectible toys, designing with legos, or even designing coloring books. My friend (for over 45 years)is in his 60s and has always plays with toys (toys his children were not allowed to touch). He wound up as a successful toy designer, even though many people would still definitely judge him as a immature individual. His living room is walk to wall and ceiling high full of robots. I am in my 60s too, and still play with toys. I was never a designer, but collected hundreds of dolls, stuffed animals, tin toys, and currently, mid century modern squeaky toys (which line my living room walls to the ceiling). I still buy and play with toys, and kids crafting kits.
Your worries remind me of those who sadly hide their non-heterosexual sexuality from their parents. You cannot help who you are! You can hide it, but it is a part of you, and it does not harm your life, your future, or anything else having to do with being an adult. So please be you and be proud. Even if you have to hide it, it’s ok. Just enjoy.
I suppose you can continue to hide your desires from your father, if you still live at home, but realize that one day you will move out and be in your own and then you can be free to be anyone you want to be! Many of us grew up in households where parents were authoritarian, and assumed we should turn into serious, mature worker drones and act comepletely different then who we are inside. Some of us fall in line and become unhappy “mature” adults, and quite unhappy with ourselves. Others broke out of the mold and have been enjoying who we are, and accepting that we will never change. Please go ahead and enjoy cartoons, and toys, even if you have to do so in the privacy of your room without interference from parental judgements.
