{"id":22994,"date":"2025-08-28T22:53:24","date_gmt":"2025-08-28T22:53:24","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/happyinthehills.com\/zentriathlete\/?p=22994"},"modified":"2026-02-21T00:25:41","modified_gmt":"2026-02-21T00:25:41","slug":"ddmdmfer","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/happyinthehills.com\/zentriathlete\/2025\/08\/28\/ddmdmfer\/","title":{"rendered":"Don’t Drag me Down – Mother Father!"},"content":{"rendered":"\t\t
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Stop Treating Adults Like Children<\/h3><\/div>\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t
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It\u2019s fascinating to observe how these dynamics unfold. On one hand, we\u2019re encouraged to examine the inputs of the life cycle with mindfulness toward the outcomes. Yet, what I\u2019m observing in real time with my neurodivergent 5-year-old\u2014diagnosed with ASD and born during the COVID disruptions\u2014is a poignant contradiction.<\/span><\/p>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t

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His earliest experiences were shaped by masks, distancing, and rigid protocols. Now, as he tries to integrate into systems built on assembly-line paradigms, he\u2019s met with the directive to \u201ctreat him more like an adult.\u201d The irony is stark: these two maxims\u2014early infantilization through systemic rigidity, followed by premature adultification\u2014are fundamentally at odds. The result is a flawed lifecycle experience, one that will continue to manifest in various ways unless meaningful recalibrations and interventions are made to improve the journey.<\/span><\/p>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t

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We\u2019re seeing a resurgence of authoritarian and draconian models in response to uncontrollable disruptions like COVID and other systemic shocks. These events forced a pivot toward flexibility, autonomy, and agency\u2014through social distancing, loss of contributors, and the normalization of previously optional tools and systems. Despite these adaptations, both successful and failed, we still cling to the \u201ccamaraderies of our past,\u201d treating them as comforting carousels. Meanwhile, we falsely profess and proclaim innovation, agility, and human-centered design\u2014outsourcing our value systems and allowing them to be hijacked by legacy thinking.<\/span><\/p>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t

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Those navigating the neurodiverse wilderness recognize this pattern. These systems mirror the lived experiences of individuals: masking, seeking support, and striving to manage autonomy. But this isn\u2019t about trusting the models that shaped them. It\u2019s a paradox\u2014children are told to be treated like adults, yet emerging adults are often treated like children. The disconnect between input and output reveals a systemic misalignment that demands deeper reflection and intentional redesign.<\/span><\/p>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t

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Stop Treating Adults Like Children It\u2019s fascinating to observe how these dynamics unfold. On one hand, we\u2019re encouraged to examine the inputs of the life cycle with mindfulness toward the outcomes. Yet, what I\u2019m observing in real time with my […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":23011,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"nf_dc_page":"","_eb_attr":"","pagelayer_contact_templates":[],"_pagelayer_content":"","rs_blank_template":"","rs_page_bg_color":"","slide_template_v7":"","wprm-recipe-roundup-name":"","wprm-recipe-roundup-description":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[440,653,660,442,674,816,817],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-22994","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-zentriathlete-neurodiversity","category-checkins","category-zt-pda","category-neurotype-adhd-asd","category-2025-check-ins","category-nd-fl","category-prnci"],"acf":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/happyinthehills.com\/zentriathlete\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/22994","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/happyinthehills.com\/zentriathlete\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/happyinthehills.com\/zentriathlete\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/happyinthehills.com\/zentriathlete\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/happyinthehills.com\/zentriathlete\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=22994"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/happyinthehills.com\/zentriathlete\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/22994\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":24111,"href":"https:\/\/happyinthehills.com\/zentriathlete\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/22994\/revisions\/24111"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/happyinthehills.com\/zentriathlete\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/23011"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/happyinthehills.com\/zentriathlete\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=22994"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/happyinthehills.com\/zentriathlete\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=22994"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/happyinthehills.com\/zentriathlete\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=22994"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}