How where you as a Child?

[Gargamel]

• I was hyperactive, I could not stand still for long.
• I had concentration problems, hated school and got really bored in class. Daydreaming was my only way to survive the boredom. Sometimes I would forget that I was in a classroom and I would start singing and dancing and then realize that everyone was staring at me.
• Usually I finished tasks first and then start to disturb my classmates due to boredom and ultimately get kicked out of class.
• What I hated the most about school was the routine and the schedule, everyday seemed the same. Also hated the stupid rules.
• I never enjoyed any class, I just had classes that I hated less than others.
• Always wanted to leave class. I cant remember one single time that I would prefer to be in class over playing outside.
• Always felt that my school was designed for stupid kids. Never studied, not even once. got Decent grades and managed to enter the best university of my country anyway.
• Absent minded, always inside my head. My mom often sayd to me that I was living in mars or another planet.

Can anyone relate to any of this?

 

[Suraj]

Yup, pretty much all of that relates to my childhood experience. I think it was my first grade teacher who wrote in a report to my parents, "bright kid, but daydreams too much".

In elementary, I was somewhat rebellious toward school for the reasons you listed. Junior high was easy, and I had some pretty encouraging teachers, so I earned valedictorian status with minimal effort. High school was similarly easy, but toward the end of my junior year I began lapsing back into my rebellious, "why should I care about this?" mentality.

Now I'm about to enter my third year of college, and academic apathy once again has me in its diabolical clutches.

Whoops. XD

 

[Vidi]

Description of an INTP child didn't match me ( it is somewhere in this forum). It left me in doubts big time

 

[m.love]

I can relate to your comment in the last bullet point, but not really the others.

I was very studious as a kid, and still am as an adult. One of my biggest regrets, actually, is taking school too seriously, especially in college. I could have had more fun!!

In elementatry school I remember teachers would pair me up with the wildest kid in class, because I had a 'calming effect' on them.

I did have some strange interests. For ex. my mom brought home a microscope for me to play with. So naturally, I went nuts sticking anything I could find to see what it really looks like. This is pretty weird for a 10 year-old I guess.

One of my favorite games with a neighbor was making paper aiplanes, and we would compete in different categories, such as farthest distance, number of loops, hitting a target. etc. I think we had scoreboards and named the planes, haha.

I had a fantastic childhood, and I was never bored.

 

[Gargamel]

Yup, pretty much all of that relates to my childhood experience. I think it was my first grade teacher who wrote in a report to my parents, "bright kid, but daydreams too much".

In elementary, I was somewhat rebellious toward school for the reasons you listed. Junior high was easy, and I had some pretty encouraging teachers, so I earned valedictorian status with minimal effort. High school was similarly easy, but toward the end of my junior year I began lapsing back into my rebellious, "why should I care about this?" mentality.

Now I'm about to enter my third year of college, and academic apathy once again has me in its diabolical clutches.

Whoops. XD

Yeah I know what you mean with the academic apathy. At least in college you have more freedom to decide when to go to class and when to study and you dont have your parents forcing you to study... I really liked that part of my life, even though Ive procrastinated through college like there is no tomorrow.

 

[Gargamel]

I can relate to your comment in the last bullet point, but not really the others.

I was very studious as a kid, and still am as an adult. One of my biggest regrets, actually, is taking school too seriously, especially in college. I could have had more fun!!

In elementatry school I remember teachers would pair me up with the wildest kid in class, because I had a 'calming effect' on them.

I did have some strange interests. For ex. my mom brought home a microscope for me to play with. So naturally, I went nuts sticking anything I could find to see what it really looks like. This is pretty weird for a 10 year-old I guess.

One of my favorite games with a neighbor was making paper aiplanes, and we would compete in different categories, such as farthest distance, number of loops, hitting a target. etc. I think we had scoreboards and named the planes, haha.

I had a fantastic childhood, and I was never bored.

Is interesting that you sound so different. I was never calmed or a good student at all. I think I relied solely on being analytical and intelligent. But I can relate to your games and hobbies though.

 

[Nocturne]

Description of an INTP child didn't match me ( it is somewhere in this forum). It left me in doubts big time

Hm. Same situation here, however I haven't always been an INTP since I was(/were?) little.

 

[Lot]

-I was quiet
-adults always said that I was "wiser than my years"
-I went out of my way to be seen as weird. Still kinda do that.
-I was horrible academically in elementary school
-I daydreamed constantly
-spent a great deal of time killing invisible enemies and playing with my action figures
-I had no interest in education. I just wanted to live in my own world and be left alone
-I made friends easy, but I couldn't maintain the relationship. I only have one friend that I kept from elementary school. our friendship was founded on Star Wars and Legos.
-My 5th grade teacher told my mom half way through the year she was holding me back. So my mom home schooled me through 6th and 7th grade.
-I was also a cry baby. I even was driven to tears in 8th grade, because I was getting made fun of for sucking at valleyball during physical education. I even cried at the end of Dragon Heart.

I also went out of my way to climb trees. I loved the thrill and thought process needed to do it.

 

[Sigma Octantis]

hmmm....

hyper active like every other kids. jumps around a lot.
I was nicknamed as a cat cause i climb on things and was really sneaky and jump off high places and always seem to land on my feet.

very atheltic, i used to run a lot and very acrobatic.


Used to day dream a lot.
Used to screw up a lot on school cause i can never pay attention well enough.

when it comes to exams though, normally I get the highest mark on the entire grade including the other sections but i was placed on the so called "dumb kids" class cause i wasnt well behaved.

they didn't want to put me with the "smart" ones cause they'd think i'd disrupt the class.


I used to get introuble a lot, i'd sneak out of the school by jumping over a wall. i'd sneak in at school when im not suppose to be in it.


despite that, i had an innocent look but i was very mischievous too.

i was the instigator of all the retarded ideas.

we once had a mentos in a pepsi bottle fight, soaking everyone with soda because of my dumb-dumb ideas.


I used to break everything that I touch.


I was a neat freak how ever.
I easily get distracted but easily gets my focus back too.


i was a living example of paradox.

 

[ProxyAmenRa]

I had a propensity to become upset easily as a child. Melancholy not tantrums.

 

[m.love]

Is interesting that you sound so different. I was never calmed or a good student at all. I think I relied solely on being analytical and intelligent. But I can relate to your games and hobbies though.

Yes, that is interesting. Are INTP's known for being able to concentrate for long periods of time if they want to? I wonder if this is a learned behaviour. I come from a family of teachers and education was very emphasized while I was growing up. Possibly gender roles matter here too. You know 'boys will be boys'...but girls, not so much.

 

[Gargamel]

-I was quiet
-adults always said that I was "wiser than my years"
-I went out of my way to be seen as weird. Still kinda do that.
-I was horrible academically in elementary school
-I daydreamed constantly
-spent a great deal of time killing invisible enemies and playing with my action figures
-I had no interest in education. I just wanted to live in my own world and be left alone
-I made friends easy, but I couldn't maintain the relationship. I only have one friend that I kept from elementary school. our friendship was founded on Star Wars and Legos.
-My 5th grade teacher told my mom half way through the year she was holding me back. So my mom home schooled me through 6th and 7th grade.
-I was also a cry baby. I even was driven to tears in 8th grade, because I was getting made fun of for sucking at valleyball during physical education. I even cried at the end of Dragon Heart.

I also went out of my way to climb trees. I loved the thrill and thought process needed to do it.

OH you made me remember the killing of invisible man! I remember playing for hours with action figures and imagining a whole universe of invisible monsters to be erradicated...

 

[Gargamel]

hmmm....

hyper active like every other kids. jumps around a lot.
I was nicknamed as a cat cause i climb on things and was really sneaky and jump off high places and always seem to land on my feet.

very atheltic, i used to run a lot and very acrobatic.


Used to day dream a lot.
Used to screw up a lot on school cause i can never pay attention well enough.

when it comes to exams though, normally I get the highest mark on the entire grade including the other sections but i was placed on the so called "dumb kids" class cause i wasnt well behaved.

they didn't want to put me with the "smart" ones cause they'd think i'd disrupt the class.


I used to get introuble a lot, i'd sneak out of the school by jumping over a wall. i'd sneak in at school when im not suppose to be in it.


despite that, i had an innocent look but i was very mischievous too.

i was the instigator of all the retarded ideas.

we once had a mentos in a pepsi bottle fight, soaking everyone with soda because of my dumb-dumb ideas.


I used to break everything that I touch.


I was a neat freak how ever.
I easily get distracted but easily gets my focus back too.


i was a living example of paradox.

I relate to most things you said. I also remember that I was prone to break things, my mom would tell me to be careful constantly to avoid the wrecking. I always felt that my brain worked faster than my hands or my cordination, and I would do things too fast and break them fast aswel.

 

[Gargamel]

Yes, that is interesting. Are INTP's known for being able to concentrate for long periods of time if they want to? I wonder if this is a learned behaviour. I come from a family of teachers and education was very emphasized while I was growing up. Possibly gender roles matter here too. You know 'boys will be boys'...but girls, not so much.

If you give me something I like, like a computer, I can be hyper focused, even as a child, so probably you are right... but I thought that school was not friendly towards an INTP personality (the rules, the boredom, the routine, etc.)

 

[TriflinThomas]

"Because I said so." was not an acceptable answer to me when I was young; I required a logical, coherent explanation before I obeyed my parents.

 

[P.H.]

"Because I said so." was not an acceptable answer to me when I was young; I required a logical, coherent explanation before I obeyed my parents.

Same here. That's probably why a lot of people thought I was a difficult child, but I really wasn't. All you had to do was give me a normal answer and not "dumb things down" because I was a child. As long as the answers were appropriate for my (mental) age and I felt like my question was respected, in stead of brushed away like "the stupid things kids ask", I was content.

And I could alwasy keep myself busy. If I didn't had a book to read, I'd find one, and when I wasn't reading I was playing with the cats or "building" something. I remember very well trying to make marble courses from those toilet paper things or making cat houses or coin dozers from shoe boxes. I also liked to talk a lot, asking questions and then discussing the answers.

I had a neat childhood.

 

[Architect]

• Thought to be lazy (now people call me a Renaissance man)
• Thought to be a loser (probably the most successful in my HS class)
• Not academically distinguished, flunked algebra three times (later got into one of the top three science grad schools in the world)
• Considered moody, would occasionally have a major blow up (later became known as one of the most emotionally stable engineers at my workplace)
• Picked up weird hobbies & interests
• Did only one thing at a time and obsessed about it
• Got into a lot of fights
• 'Architect needs to learn focus' was on every report card
• Not a lot of friends, didn't manage to keep them long (still don't have a lot of friends)
• Considered a loner, family concerned I'd become a Unibomber or hermit

 

[PhoenixRising]

Re: How were you as a Child?

When I was born, I didn't cry. There wasn't time for that, there was too much to discover. My eyes opened as wide as saucers, and I was apparently completely fascinated with everything in my new-found world. That basically describes who I've been my entire life.

I was stoic, quiet, and spent a great deal of time alone in the most remote places I could find.

I almost never slept.

I was highly intelligent, many said "wise beyond my years."

I excelled in reading, writing, science, and art.

I was fascinated with the natural world, especially animals and biology. I decided early in life that I wanted to be a scientific illustrator.

I wrote poetry and fiction/sci-fi stories from age 6 until recent years.

I did not respond well to punishment, and demanded reasons for the actions of adults. When they had no logical reason, I did not listen.

I was deeply spiritual, and seemed to have a sense of the invisible side of existence.

I was extremely intuitive when it came to people's dispositions. I've always been able to know what personality type someone is just by being in close proximity to them. This extended into empathic abilities, where I would actually feel the emotions of people. Over the years, I had to seal away that ability in order to avoid insanity.

Of course, all of this made most of the other children unable to relate to me. I usually had one or two good friends. Bullies were usually afraid of me, since I was supposedly a vampire alien.

 

[PhoenixRising]

I can relate to your comment in the last bullet point, but not really the others.

I was very studious as a kid, and still am as an adult. One of my biggest regrets, actually, is taking school too seriously, especially in college. I could have had more fun!!

In elementatry school I remember teachers would pair me up with the wildest kid in class, because I had a 'calming effect' on them.

I did have some strange interests. For ex. my mom brought home a microscope for me to play with. So naturally, I went nuts sticking anything I could find to see what it really looks like. This is pretty weird for a 10 year-old I guess.

One of my favorite games with a neighbor was making paper aiplanes, and we would compete in different categories, such as farthest distance, number of loops, hitting a target. etc. I think we had scoreboards and named the planes, haha.

I had a fantastic childhood, and I was never bored.

Your comment about being partnered with the wildest kid in class makes me recall the same experience. Isn't it interesting how some INTPs seem to have that effect?

 

[TriflinThomas]

Re: How were you as a Child?

I remember once I was called "sophisticated" for my age, when I was little. I also had a fascination with the natural world, I asked (and received) an animal encyclopedia for Christmas when I was in 3rd grade. My mom told me that I always preferred books over toys.

 

[Marcher]

I was a bit of a loner. At school I daydreamed in class and would get into trouble on most days for wondering off into the woods that surrounded the school. No one really wanted to know me, not even people that were similar to me.
The woods were like a little paradise to escape to. The silver birch trees had some sort of infection whereby something resembling amber would collect on them (probably amber in its early stages). Along the ground there were just flowers everywhere - bluebells, snowdrops and daffodils.

There was wildlife - plenty of birds, stray cats, rabbits and the odd fox. I also found things in there - old coins and Victorian era pottery. It was a fascinating place for me as a kid but I got detention a few times for going in there. But it beat wondering aimlessly around the playground like some sad loser. The woods are a nice place in which to think, but around here it's all farmland and the woods are small. Not too far away is a forest and moors, I want to live closer to that in future.

In high school I had one real friend and a load of casual friends that I just talked to occasionally (you know the sort - the ones you immediately lost contact with after leaving school).
I liked reading and researching things that interested me but found it hard to devote myself to academic subjects. Luckily for me there were some good teachers that got me interested enough to learn though.

At college I found it took time to make friends but once I did it was good until I left which is when I lost contact with them (they weren't close friends, just casual again). It takes me a few months to get to know someone which is a hindrance.

Now I'm working I have to be able to communicate with strangers which I hate but am doing fine with so far. I also have to make idle conversation about topics such as football and tv which don't interest me at all. I can't imagine having a conversation with anyone at work about politics, history or anything meaningful.
Oh well, at least there's always the internet.

 

[PhoenixRising]

I was a bit of a loner. At school I daydreamed in class and would get into trouble on most days for wondering off into the woods that surrounded the school. No one really wanted to know me, not even people that were similar to me.
The woods were like a little paradise to escape to. The silver birch trees had some sort of infection whereby something resembling amber would collect on them (probably amber in its early stages). Along the ground there were just flowers everywhere - bluebells, snowdrops and daffodils.

There was wildlife - plenty of birds, stray cats, rabbits and the odd fox. I also found things in there - old coins and Victorian era pottery. It was a fascinating place for me as a kid but I got detention a few times for going in there. But it beat wondering aimlessly around the playground like some sad loser. The woods are a nice place in which to think, but around here it's all farmland and the woods are small. Not too far away is a forest and moors, I want to live closer to that in future.

In high school I had one real friend and a load of casual friends that I just talked to occasionally (you know the sort - the ones you immediately lost contact with after leaving school).
I liked reading and researching things that interested me but found it hard to devote myself to academic subjects. Luckily for me there were some good teachers that got me interested enough to learn though.

At college I found it took time to make friends but once I did it was good until I left which is when I lost contact with them (they weren't close friends, just casual again). It takes me a few months to get to know someone which is a hindrance.

Now I'm working I have to be able to communicate with strangers which I hate but am doing fine with so far. I also have to make idle conversation about topics such as football and tv which don't interest me at all. I can't imagine having a conversation with anyone at work about politics, history or anything meaningful.
Oh well, at least there's always the internet.

Sounds like you and Triflin Thomas have an appreciation for nature like I always have. I suppose it makes sense for INTPs to have an inherent interest in the natural world. The forms and functions of plants and animals, even of cosmic phenomena, are so much more complex and interesting to think about than those things created by humans. Plus, the woods are a great place to recharge for an introvert.

The woods surrounding your school sound absolutely beautiful. You're lucky to have gotten to experience such beauty.

 

[addictedartist]

People always asked me to draw pictures for them; I only draw for myself.

friends with; was a social standing to me.

intelligence and honesty were synonymous with wisdom

took apart remote controlled cars to see what was inside them to make them run more efficiently, then say 'neat-o' and stash them away in the spare parts bin

settled disputes with my fists when nobody could comprehend my words

obsessed over philosophy and acting in accordance with appropriating circumstances

thought religion and science should be seperate

I stated 'kids these days'*sighh to people much older than me on a regular basis about people who were much older than me.

Realized from an early age the insignificance of life in the face of death and the significance of death in the face of life

 

[kamari rised]

I wasn't INTP when I was little, it changed once I had self-realization and created me.

Everything was a competition to me.
I was very very emotional, I could feel others emotions, or sometimes if I failed during stuff that was a competition to me I would always cry. But than afterwards I would always go back out and do it over again (it was kind of like a revengeful emotion)
I was always patient during certain situations, but I also had a tendency to always be doing something. Even when I was grounded and mom told me to go in the corner, I would play and make designs in the rug and stuff.
School wise I hated it. Like I always wanted to be like the smart people on tv, I would even prepare to learn something about computers, but never put any effort and was forced to sit down and bs everything.
I was quiet until I knew the person well.
I loved tinkering with toys and playing video games.
Sleep was my enemy.
and strong addictive personality to stimulating activities. i hated losing.
oh yea and I used to be a keeper of everything, like junk and stuff.

 

[BigApplePi]

Through the fourth grade I was at the top of my class. I'd finish math exercises early, get restless and cause trouble. When I learned to swear, I swore in front of the teacher. When I was reprimanded I thought that unfair as it seemed there was nothing wrong if my buddies swore, but just didn't do it in front of her.

I was skipped to the fifth grade were I got my comeuppance. All the kids were bigger than I, the teacher was very strict (and I thought unfair). I immediately went to the social bottom and became very shy. I clung desperately to my superiority in math and actually remained tops throughout all of college. Seeing I couldn't excel in the other categories I mostly refused to study and eventually became socially isolated and retarded. It has taken me a long time to overcome this and residuals remain.

 

[JBrown5390]

I wasn't INTP when I was little, it changed once I had self-realization and created me.

Everything was a competition to me.
I was very very emotional, I could feel others emotions, or sometimes if I failed during stuff that was a competition to me I would always cry. But than afterwards I would always go back out and do it over again (it was kind of like a revengeful emotion)
I was always patient during certain situations, but I also had a tendency to always be doing something. Even when I was grounded and mom told me to go in the corner, I would play and make designs in the rug and stuff.
School wise I hated it. Like I always wanted to be like the smart people on tv, I would even prepare to learn something about computers, but never put any effort and was forced to sit down and bs everything.
I was quiet until I knew the person well.
I loved tinkering with toys and playing video games.
Sleep was my enemy.
and strong addictive personality to stimulating activities. i hated losing.
oh yea and I used to be a keeper of everything, like junk and stuff.

This reminds me a lot of myself when I was a younger. I think I've just recently "became" an intp as well. I'm 23 and within the past 2 years or so I've felt a shift in my personality. I didn't notice it at the time but looking back my personality, the way I think, what I think about, and what interests me has all changed drastically. When I look back it almost seems like I use to be a robot that was just on autopilot not really thinking about anything, ever. I feel as though sometime recently my brain just decided to "turn on". I've also never met my biological father so I'm sure that factors in a million different ways

I definitely had a few of the INTP tendencies though. I've never told anyone this because I never put any real thought into it until recently. I remember I always use to play pattern games with numbers in my head as I would tap my fingers or foot to the pattern. I was very insecure about this and was convinced there was something wrong with me and eventually forced myself to stop doing it.

I use to be fascinated with airplanes and the sky. I remember when I was 6 years old and on a football team. I use to, in the middle of a play, stop everything I was doing and stare at any airplane flying over-head. Coaches would yell at me but I never heard a single word, all I was focused on was that airplane.

Was always told I was a smart kid but just needed to focus more or apply myself. I very much lived in my head.

I loved to build things whether it was with lego's or random household items.

I never user to care about what people thought about me, almost as if I didn't even realize people thought about other people. Now I'm so concerned with how people see me it's exhausting. I feel as if everyone around is staring at my every movement and laughing. Definitely don't feel comfortable in my own skin. This causes me a great deal of stress.

I was an honor roll student until I hit 5th grade where I got my first D. After that my grades suffered due to a lack of effort and interest. I just seemed to stop caring about school once I got bored with it. One area I never lost interest in was spelling tests and those sort of things, I was always disappointed if I didnt get 100%.

If a rule didn't make sense, it didn't get followed.

People often thought of me as innocent and shy. At some point very young I realized how much I could use this to get away with things. A high school teacher once told me I should teach a class on how to get away with things because even when she knew I was up to something she couldn't punish me for it because she could never prove anything.

 

[Brontosaurie]

I had special interests that absorbed me and took up all my free time. I felt more secure in a world of analytical possibilities than one of social expectations, however simple. The biggest hobby was LEGO from age 5 to 12. And memorizing dinosaurs from 4 to 10.

my contempt for convention was natural and consistent, but quite subdued and never perceived by myself. emotional trust tended to override this making me shy and reserved rather than mischievous.