YOUNG AT HEART? TAKE THE KID-DULT TEST!

Would you say you're still a "kid at heart"? If you answered “yes”, you’ve got plenty of company!

A recent poll asked people if they consider themselves a "KIDULT" (meaning someone who's still into the same stuff they loved as a child). 59% agreed they’re experiencing kidulthood on some level.

I feel sad for the 31% who’ve lost that connection.

Over half said they often buy themselves the stuff their parents wouldn't. The top three things we buy (that Mom and Dad wouldn’t) are video games, clothes, and junk food. To that, my first video game was also my last - the immortal PONG. Just not my thing. I do, however, remember the amazement that my TV could be used for something other than watching the Cubs lose.

Clothes? I have a closet full of nice stuff I’ll likely never wear again. I can afford whatever I want but rarely buy new stuff. I’m just not fooling myself. Should I ever slide into my black Calvin Kleins again, it won’t make me sexy at 60+++++. Those days are over. So, what’s the point?

Comfort over Calvin. Sweatpants and shorts over jeans. I had my day, and it was good. Sometimes grrrrrrrrrreat!

On junk food? Jerry Seinfeld, himself a full-fledged BOOMer, does a great standup on the joy of being an adult. “When I want a cookie, I’m having a cookie! I might have 3, 4 or 11 cookies and completely ruin my appetite. I might even call my mother and tell her, ‘Mom I intentionally ruined my appetite’. You see, when you kill an appetite it’s no big deal because another appetite will be coming along soon”.

to double-stuff them. I never take more than 2 at a time from the package. That’s maturity. Discipline! Sometimes I might make 4 or 5 trips to the pantry. That’s juvenile relapse!

Time to find out if YOU are a “Kid-dult”!

The survey had people rank the top signs you're still a kid at heart. Here are the Top 10 (let’s take the test together (my replies in parentheses).

1. You re-watch a lot of old movies or shows from your childhood. (Yes. When I was a kid, the Three Stooges on WGN cleared our street for half an hour after school. Call me boorish if you want but I still watch them and enjoy some of the great double- entenders that flew over my head all those years ago. I Stooge-out on a Saturday afternoon, often with 11 double-stuff Oreos.)

Simple brilliance. I ate Oreos as a kid, and still enjoy them as a “kid-dult”. They’re even better now as scientific breakthroughs have discovered a way

2. You still watch cartoons. (Yes. I don’t watch vulgar crap like South Park. I remain devoted to the glorious Loony Tune classics with Bugs Bunny and

Company- each frame hand painted, with clever and detailed scenes, all orchestra scored.)

3. You're frequently nostalgic for old toys or products from when you were a kid. (Yes. In my garage you’ll find a bucket of whiffle balls and some highquality bats. As a kid, I understood Pops couldn’t buy the premium stuff. I can afford them now, and you’ll find me playing Home Run Derby, by myself, using the roof of our house as the outfield wall. I’ve ridden my bike about 2500 miles the last couple years, too!)

4. You quote movies and shows from when you were young. (Yes, if the Stooges count? Nyuk nyuk nyuk!)

5. You've found yourself googling old toys or products from your youth. (I loved aviation related toys and during a discussion on toys during my radio show, I recalled one of my favoritesThe Flying Fox. When I searched and found pictures, I actually had tears. The Flying Fox was a 4-prop plane on a pedestal, with separate controls for each “engine”. It went through a ton of batteries but it engaged the imagination).

6. You still wear clothes that would have been in style back then, or T-shirts with nostalgic references. (No. Nothing against it. I have saved some radio station gear but nothing that connects to childhood.)

7. You still have your old video games. (Ha. As AMAZING as Pong was in ’76, I didn’t save it)

8. You display at least one childhood toy in your home or office. (I’ve been told the only childhood souvenir in the radio studio is my behavior. I admit to laughing at naughty jokes. Sometimes I get into an animated state, “loony tunes you might say- that would make Bugs Bunny proud. Later in childhood I discovered there was something really exciting about attractive women. I confess to being a random ogler. Hey! Women are boss, baby! If you’re reading BOOM you should know the context of ‘boss’.

9. You'd rather stay in and play board games than go out to eat or hit a bar. (Yes. Absolutely. A bar with 1000 happinessseeking people is the loneliest place on earth.)

10. You've bought your kids at least one toy you had as a child. (Yes yes yes! Whiffle ball bat. Monopoly. Last Christmas I had a 500-piece puzzle made from one of my daughter’s favorite pictures with her dog, Bella- and Janelle texted me a photo of it, completed.)

Clearly, I have embraced my "Kidulthood”. BOOMers- we can’t forget how to have fun. Connecting with childhood fun is like going full circle.

I am, however, in no hurry to close that circle!

(Share your thoughts on your "Kidulthood" experiences or if you have a comment on this column, email me at gregbudell@aol.com It's always fun to hear from BOOM! readers.)

Greg Budell lives in Montgomery with his wife, Roz, and dog, Brisco. He's been in radio since 1970, and has marked 17 years in the River Region. He hosts the Newstalk 93.1FM Morning Show with Rich Thomas and Jay Scott, 6-9 AM Monday - Friday. He returns weekday afternoons from 3-6 PM for Happy Hour with sidekick, Rosie Brock. Greg can be reached at gregbudell@aol.com www.RiverRegionBoom.com