I have to run by most of my purchases with my parents, and when I asked for two throws, they called it a stupid hobby for kids. How do you convince them otherwise?
Thank you.
7 Likes
It is.
9 Likes
How old are you ? I hope that situation changes soon.
You practice and throw to your hearts content as long as it brings joy to your soul. Never loose that if you can.
A cherry on top would be if that journey of throwing made you a future yo-yo world champion.
5 Likes
It’s not a stupid hobby though if someone asked for expensive bimetals I can see why someone would think it is unnecessary.
2 Likes
Tell them your building great eye hand coordination without playing video games. Explain that the yo-yo is actually a tethered gyroscope and that it stays on the string only by physics and the skill in your hands. Endlessly remind them that your not buying Pokémon cards like Joe down the street and that your yo-yos won’t self destruct if gotten moist. Tell them your yo-yos are the second oldest recreational device in history going back to Ancient Greece and immortalized in pottery. And lastly prove them wrong by actually playing YoYo and get not just good but really good. Do tricks all the time, never leave home without a yo-yo on your person. Sooner hopefully they’ll notice that what your trying to achieve is not done as a passing fad or mania. Failing that get a job and save your penny’s, then you buy what you want. Worked for me. Good luck!
16 Likes
By the way what yo-yos do you have? What did you ask for? What type of throws do you like?
What do your parents consider to be interesting and not stupid hobbies?
5 Likes
Short answer you’re never going to convince them but who cares. Enjoy the things you enjoy and don’t take any of it too seriously. Life gets easier once you have autonomy over what you do with yourself
11 Likes
To many most hobbies can seem dumb. I watch anime and for many many years this was a huge thing people hated. After Covid it seems to be cool now.
Yo-yos are great for many things both mentally and physically. Above all if it’s something your into it is a positive thing and should be supported. If your parents won’t support it but aren’t against you doing it I’ll send you a yoyo.
7 Likes
thrower > throw
some people bump heads with their parents because they get consumed with different throws/drops. focus on practicing and enjoying what you have. If they are paying for your throws, maybe save up a little. but if you are buying them and they are complaining… thats weird.
3 Likes
Just look at mechanical keyboards as a hobby and you will realise that playing yoyo is not a stupid hobby.
5 Likes
Start getting into a hobby that’s really really dangerous and borderline illegal. Then when your parents are at peak dispair. Tell them, “you know what, I quit this, I want to do the yoyo thing”
And they will be so happy and proud.
Ẅ̸̛͉̤̩͙͓̺͕̉̽̑̅͆̔̽̄͋͗͘͝ ̸̡̬̘̣̊̈́͐͋̃̿͌̔͝I̷̺̦̘̺̪̲̲̥̦͋ ̷̧̦̹͙̜̫̝̭̲̭́̈́̎̑̀͊̉̊̌͐̇͂́͋Ṅ̶̨̛̛͚̘̳̬͔͚̤̹̭̺̭̫̯͕̆̈́̐̀́͋̕͝ ̸̮̟̗̺̌̑̌̈̏̚Ṇ̶̢̹̝͂͐͆͑̀̀̇̀̓̌̄͂͐͆͆ ̴̢̧̞̤͇̹̥̼̩̩͇̿͑͊̀̾͐̿͐̚͝Ḯ̷̛͕̞̪͙̔̈͛̏͆̂̌́ ̷̣̽̀̂́͆̄͋̋̈́͒͋͗̏̚͘N̴̛͚̫̦̦̜̜̓̽́̅́̇̽͗͂͊̾͠͠ ̵͓͓̝̜͖͖̰̓̈͆̀̎̿̃̉̄̏͂͋͗G̷̡̜̳͒̓̈́̇̋̔ ̶͚̟͙̙̤͔̗͍̲̙̦̠͇̬̑͐́́̉̏̿͆͘̚͝
10 Likes
For some it is a passion. Like Music, Art, Sports…
Try a different angle;
Earn what you want. Have a discussion with your parents about how you can earn money for the Yoyos.
This will show them it IS important to you. Also a sense of appreciation for yourself that you earned them. Can also show your parents a follow through.
Start with a foundation and build upon that.
Look for side jobs to fill the gap.
Just my 2 cents.
8 Likes
Some people are going to be hard set to think whatever they want. It isn’t your job to convince them otherwise because their opinion on what you do doesn’t matter. @Pun1sh3R said is good advice, no one can stop you if you’re paying for it yourself so just try that angle. Regardless of what people think, do it for you.
5 Likes
I mean, a hobby is something that is done for leisure and fun. Playing yoyo gets you off a screen and standing up at least. A lot of learning new tricks or making new tricks is like puzzle solving and that’s like good for the mind or something. There’s also a meditative side of Yoyo bc you can get lost in a state of yo, that feels good spiritually. Idk lol Good luck!
5 Likes
Hey, it could be worse, you could be getting into trouble and partaking in illegal activities. Yoyoing for the most part is a rather healthy hobby. Can get a little dangerous (to your wallet) when you go down the collecting rabbit hole esp with obtaining throws from defunct companies.
I continue to throw myself as well as partake in other skill toys because I kind of don’t want to continue being a klutz. Helps with hand-eye coordination, also takes mind off of frustrating matters.
2 Likes
I’m sorry your parents had that sort of negative feedback for you. Just let them know that it’s a hobby you enjoy and you would appreciate it if they could support you a little better.
I like the idea of earning your throws. Show them you’re willing to work for it.
6 Likes
First of all, regardless of whether it’s you, or your parents or your friends or little green men, your mindset has to be correct.
But especially if it’s a kid dealing with parents. As you mentioned, if you want to buy a yo-yo or two, you have to ask your parents.
You and your parents both have to recognize and identify the proper category for yo-yos.
Don’t look now… Yo-yos are toys. Almost every toy that kids have when they’re growing up, play a little different. Some boardgames, some pogo stick, some skateboards, some have to do with decks of cards, or lawn darts, Or blow, guns, or Archery equipment or Tonka toys or RC cars or Legos…….etc.
Yo-yos ‘are’ toys.
When your parents were kids and they grew up in a cave, or had parents of their own that were a little different in the head, They also had toys. And I’m sure the toys your parents played with they didn’t consider to be stupid or a waste of time or anything of that nature. Because when you’re a kid, kids like to play with toys.
If other people cannot recognize and understand what you decide is a toy for you, they are the ones that are causing the problem.
Sometimes, for whatever reason, parents seem to not identify any value in things they don’t understand. Whether they simply don’t understand them or refuse to understand them the result is the same. What do you wanna do to pass time and have fun is stupid and useless. But if they decide on other things that they think are stupid and useless, most likely things that you are not interested in.
The rudimentary understanding of the word play and toys should be that they equal fun. Play is fun. Toys are fun. Yo-yos or toys. Yo-yos are fun. It doesn’t matter who doesn’t think they’re fun. If you’re a kid and you wanna have fun and you wanna have it with a toy and that toy happens to be a yo-yo then there’s nothing dumb we’re stupid or wasteful or useless about it.
The best way to simplify understanding of another view of functionality and usefulness, is to identify the willingness or capability of reasoning logically that what you find to be fun, is an actuality fun to you.
The reality is that yo-yos improve eye hand coordination. They cause the user to focus. Learning tricks generates a more organized mind. Yo-yos often inspire players to share their challenges and make friends.
Yo-yos are way more than a toy.
Yo-yos can be a tool that can break down barriers and open channels of communication. With the internet connection, yo-yo players can meet people from all over the World.
It can improve self confidence and self esteem.
People that look down their nose and dismiss things they are unwilling to consider and not part of the solution.
There is Nothing Silly or useless about choosing a yo-yo as your toy of choice.
8 Likes
The “funny” thing is how the perception of yo-yos in my enviroment changed as I got older. When I was 15, which was… over 20 years ago, I was “that kid with a yoyo”. For most people it was slightly amusing, but rather weird, as they remembered the yo-yo boom, and found it silly that someone has stayed with the hobby for the next few years when it’s just a plastic toy.
Let’s fast foward the next 20 years.
I work in the creative industry in an international company so I’ve got the privilege to meet open-minded people on daily basis. Most of them are super curious about yo-yos, 3 people asked me what is a good beginner throw to try it themselves, almost unanimously people I meet think yoyoing is cool. Like, uber cool, the highest level of coolness.
But here’s the most interesting thing I found about yoyos. As a creative person I’ve got this urge to “do things”. My main tool are words, so I write stuff. Novels, short stories, scripts, you name it. If I stay “silent” for too long I get frustrated. Yo-yos helped me to realize that it’s about self-expression. Throwing a yoyo scratches the same itch writing a short story does… in a way. So whenever I’m getting anxious in a creative way, which happens a lot, but I don’t have time or stamina to start another side-project, I throw. And it serves the purpose.
It’s also like creative martial arts. You have to repeat the same movement thousand of times and then connect different movements with each other. And by playing a yoyo you learn some of the things you learn during martial arts training. The importance of mastering the foundation, the persistence to get things done perfectly every time, the habit of building on top of your work for days, weeks, years.
I spent over 15 years in a dojo/on the mat and because of health issues I can’t do it as much anymore. And again - yoyos serve the same purpose for me and it works.
And as @yoyodoc wrote, they are just toys and it should be enough without all the philosophy attatched.
4 Likes
No one understands but yoyoers why we need more than one yoyo.
2 Likes