My boys are eight and five years old. As a thirty-six-year-old mother, my interests rarely align with theirs. Kids, unfortunately, don’t always notice social cues. They develop deep passions that dominate our conversations, leading me to spend almost all my time pretending to be interested in their latest obsessions. Someone should give me an award for my performance. I’ve mastered the art of looking engaged while simultaneously planning my grocery list or brainstorming my next article. It’s a skill I didn’t know I had.
Neither of my sons possesses the ability to be casually interested in anything. When one of them discovers a new fascination, it completely consumes them, and we’re on that journey until they decide to switch tracks.
From Elephants to Dinosaurs
My eldest son’s first major passion was elephants, which began when he was not yet two years old. He played with elephant toys, watched documentaries, and even fell asleep surrounded by stuffed elephants. Although he still loves them, we’ve since transitioned through various interests. He briefly fixated on marine mammals, then moved on to African savannah animals, and finally found his true love: dinosaurs. For the past two and a half years, it’s been all dinosaurs, all the time. From dino-themed birthday parties to educational podcasts, our home is filled with dinosaur toys and even a few real fossils. We’ve even turned his obsession into a lesson about boundaries—he has to ask if it’s a good time to share his dinosaur knowledge before diving into a lecture. Spoiler: it rarely works. Just this morning, I found myself listening to him enthusiastically explain Sarcosuchus while getting ready. At least he asked first!
A New Passion: Minecraft
When my friend’s son introduced him to Minecraft a few months ago, I felt a glimmer of hope. Maybe this would give us a break from the dinosaurs? Not quite. His growing mind can now juggle two passions at once. Instead of moving on from dinosaurs, he’s added Minecraft to his repertoire. Now my daily life includes learning about creepers, withers, and diamond swords alongside Protoceratops, Utahraptor, and Tuojiangosaurus—which, by the way, is real! It can be a bit overwhelming.
But there’s no need to worry. An article I stumbled upon in LiveScience states that “in some cases, [an intense interest] is just enjoyable. It’s [just] something they like,” according to Judy DeLoache, a psychology professor at the University of Virginia. “It’s perfectly normal. There isn’t anything weird about it.”
My Younger Son’s Fascination
My younger son is all about letters and numbers. He taught himself to read out of sheer love for letters and has since transitioned to counting and breaking down larger numbers. He adores complete sets and carries “five sets of five” magnet tiles and all the characters from Blue’s Clues in a makeup bag I gave him.
Fortunately, our oldest son prepared us for his brother’s intense focus on favorite topics. This kind of passion is quite common among autistic children, and our youngest is on the spectrum. We firmly believe that autism is not a tragedy, and an ASD diagnosis is not bad news. Neurodiversity adds flavor to life, and we embrace these intense interests. It’s been working well for both our neurotypical child and our autistic one.
Research Supports Our Approach
In fact, this approach is supported by research! Smart Parenting notes that “being fascinated with a ‘conceptual’ topic like dinosaurs has been linked to better attention spans, ‘deeper levels’ of information processing skills, and increased knowledge and persistence.” This is fantastic news for parents like me whose kids seem determined to become experts on their chosen subjects!
Encouraging our children to develop interests and seek more knowledge is crucial for their growth. It equips them with skills they will need as productive adults and boosts their confidence. What child doesn’t love feeling like an expert and sharing their knowledge with grown-ups?
Embracing Their Passions
When your child has an all-consuming passion, it can feel a bit overwhelming. How can one small brain hold so many facts and never get tired of sharing them? Thankfully, you won’t suffer any harm from hearing one too many dinosaur, horse, soccer, video game, or geology facts (I’ve checked), so we can rest easy knowing we’ll survive these phases, however intense they might be. Hang in there and remember that this obsession probably won’t last forever—and if it does, your child may be on the path to a future hobby or even a career.
For more insights on parenting and interests, check out this great resource about nurturing passions. You can also learn more about home insemination from Make a Mom and find valuable information at ASRM.
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