theconnectionsnj.com PAGE 29 KIDZ CONNECTION as weird, grouping ourselves into a label that we think sums us up, and assuming that others won’t care about our interests. Whichever one of those it is, somewhere along the way many of us start deciding which hobbies are “shareable” and which ones are better left unsaid. Sports like basketball or lacrosse seem easy to bring up because lots of people understand them. But others like crocheting, baking, birdwatching, coding, or even spending hours at a horse barn can feel harder to explain, even if those are the interests that fulfill us. The more people I get to know, the more I realize that everyone has a side of themselves most people never see. Maybe instead of trying so hard to fit into one label, we should be more comfortable in sharing hobbies and interests that set us apart from one another. Personally, after all of my time marveling at how different people’s “secret” hobbies are from their known interests, I think the best part of getting to know someone is learning about all of the little things that they’re passionate about because those are the things that make them unique. Colette is a 10th-grade student local to Somerset County with a passion for writing, horseback riding, and community service. In her free time, she enjoys reading and volunteering for different nonprofit organizations. ’ve noticed that most teenagers only let other people see one version of themselves. For example, there’s a friend of mine who, up until recently, I thought was only interested in track and golf. As I got to know him more, I learned that he spent his weekends baking pastries with his grandmother and filling sketchbooks with his own comic illustrations. He only ever really let people see what he wanted them to see because he was worried about what others would think about his true self. Another classmate I know to be on my school’s ski team also surprised me. One day when I was talking to them during lunch, I learned that they were really into reading romcoms, watching anime, and thrifting clothes at Goodwill or Plato’s Closet – something I never would have guessed. But what surprised me the most wasn’t their hobbies but realizing that they probably weren’t the only ones. There are likely plenty of teenagers who are known for one thing while quietly enjoying something completely different. At the beginning of the school year, when someone asked me, “What do you do in your free time?” I mostly said something along the lines of, “Oh well, I read and like to run in the mornings.” I rarely mentioned that I crochet, volunteer, or spend most of my afternoons at the barn with my horse. None of those interests were embarrassing. I was just unsure of how people would react to them. The point is not that these hobbies or interests are weird, but that they are part of what makes us special. So why do we hide them? Why do we keep them to ourselves? I think the answer to those questions is a mix of us being afraid of people seeing us TEEN VOICE The Hobbies We Don’t Talk About By Colette Shovlin I “secret” hobbies are from their known in FALL FUN AT THE Y From swim lessons and youth sports to fitness and enrichment classes, the Y has programs for every age and interest. Come grow stronger with us – in spirit, mind, and body. SOMERVILLE YMCA & BRIDGEWATER YMCA Branches of Greater Somerset County YMCA gscymca.org/programs Now in our 30th year serving the community with high-quality music lessons for all ages & abilities. Call Now for a Trial Lesson!
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