Teenage son can’t tolerate children

I’m looking for urgent help and/ or advice. My seventeen year old is becoming less and less tolerant of children in public. We have already had to stop having our grandson in our home because of threats. When we go out in public and see children my son screams or shrieks, says “I hate kids,” bangs his head, or tells the parents “your son/ daughter is annoying me.” I can’t get him out of the area fast enough to avoid an outburst. We are to the point I’m scared to take him anywhere. I think my son has been struggling with the high pitch sound of children’s voices for a while, but just in the last few months has begun to have major outbursts. Please share some experiences or advice to help us. Thanks. 

Parents
  • I sort of get where he's comming from, if not the action he takes, I end up indoors fo rmuch of the summerunable to enjoy my garden as much as I'd like to because of neighbours screaming kids, theres one little girl who everytime she squeels, which is every few minutes, practically puts me in a spontaneous low earth orbit. I get told to learn to deal with it, that I have to compromise, well I thought compromise was a two way street and whwn do they ever compromise for me? Kids are a nuisance when you're out and about, running around everywhere with no thought to others and thier parent let them do it.

    My other big problem is the number of family friendly pubs and restaurants, why can't we have adult friendly ones? Places where adults can relax and do adult things and not have to mind our P's & Q's and stuff like that? I think I'd have a quieter time at a chimps tea party than a lot of family friendly food outlets.

    Will he wear head phones, can you aask him what it is about children that upsets him so much?

  • Thank you for your response! It sounds like his feelings are not that unusual, just his outspoken response is the problem. We have headphones, just working on getting him to use them. I’m not sure what exactly bothers him about kids. He angrily says kids, and their toys, are “stupid”.  For some reason it disturbs him to see them with their toys in public. It is probably something deeper than just the high pitched voices. Thinking 

  • Could you ask him when he's not angry at having just encountered children why they bother him so much? What is it about the toys that bothers him?

    Could it be something like the faces? Personally I find dolls, clowns and puppets really freaky and always have done, theres something about the faces and the lack of animation behind the eyes that freaks me out.

    COuld he be overempathising with the children he see's and their toys? Could he feel that those children are being patronised by having such "childish" toys. Is it children of a certain age and their toys that get to him?

  • Those are such good questions to reflect on, thank you so much. He gets triggered by being asked questions (always has, and more so nowadays) so I have to tread lightly. I make a lot of guesses to the best of my ability but my son gets mad when I’m wrong. I did notice it starting around the time my grandson, who is 9 years younger, began to like Pokémon. All of a sudden my son threw his own Pokémon collection in the trash, and got rid of most of his toys. He began staying outside when grandson was here, or running through the house with headphones. He had (i believe) a medication-triggered  manic episode in May where he made threatening comments against grandson. But then when grandson no longer came to the house, he realized his problem is with all kids. He is starting therapy after a long time on a waiting list, but I think it is going to be pretty hard to get to the heart of the matter and find the right help for him. He has multiple diagnoses at this point and also is borderline ID. 

Reply
  • Those are such good questions to reflect on, thank you so much. He gets triggered by being asked questions (always has, and more so nowadays) so I have to tread lightly. I make a lot of guesses to the best of my ability but my son gets mad when I’m wrong. I did notice it starting around the time my grandson, who is 9 years younger, began to like Pokémon. All of a sudden my son threw his own Pokémon collection in the trash, and got rid of most of his toys. He began staying outside when grandson was here, or running through the house with headphones. He had (i believe) a medication-triggered  manic episode in May where he made threatening comments against grandson. But then when grandson no longer came to the house, he realized his problem is with all kids. He is starting therapy after a long time on a waiting list, but I think it is going to be pretty hard to get to the heart of the matter and find the right help for him. He has multiple diagnoses at this point and also is borderline ID. 

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