Children: Mutual Fascination?

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I fall in the mutually interesting category. Not all children - but a good portion. They get me, I get them.

Partly I think it is because children are often not "set" yet in their adult personality - they look at things straight and curiously, the Emperor's New Clothes thing. And I basically treat them like anyonde else - talk to them straight not down, interested in their interests.

I treat children as social equals, in a world full of adults treating you like you can't be considered a person on your own yet, it is a fascinating change having someone treat you as a person.

It seems that when most people see a baby crying they react to make it stop.

I see a baby crying and begin asking questions to see what is wrong, simple gestural communication goes a long way.


Teaching is also the best way I've found to learn, and kids LOVE learning about everything, where most people get bored when I start droning on about the manner in which chlorophyll converts solar radiation into useful energy, little kids ask more questions, drinking the data in like little information sponges.


It's a shame people see a young man in his late 20's who is fascinated with kids and assume there is something perverse behind his motivations, but I understand that you have to be careful, I'd say it is much rarer to find someone with as pure an intent and interest in children than it would be to find someone looking for prey to abuse.

I don't know if you got that backwards or if I misunderstood. I think people 'preying' on children is very rare and hyped up by the media. But it's true that parents are hyper aware of the danger and it can make interacting with children who are not your own seem quite dangerous at times.

I liked the rest of your post, especially the equal treatment thing.

That's funny... I've always wondered why lil folks like me so much. Before I became a mother, I used to talk to them like to adult people and I remember that as a child I hated when adult were talking to me childish.

I mean I have an almost maternal nurturing instinct towards children, and am a young man, which is odd. When I was able to walk I started helping my mom with my sisters, have always had a knack with babies, and have always had what I call "momma cat" reactions to young of any species, be it baby squirrels I brought home to nurse, baby birds I put back in nests, the hundreds of kittens I've basically midwifed for, or the 12 or 13 kids I've helped raise.

Not that child abusers are super prevalent, but males having strong maternal instincts appear to be a much smaller group.

Oh, right yeah I get you now. Totally. People do seem to find that strange.

You should see the reactions I have gotten from first time mothers when I offer to help with a crying child, and in a matter of minutes have it laughing or asleep.

It's apparently odd to go up to an infant and get eye to eye so you can ask "hey hey hey, what's the fuss here, short stuff?", who knew?

I'm now 19 and too serious to be with children. But when I was 13, my little cousins used to fight to hold my hand because I would treat them like adults. I don't and didn't have this connection with other children (genetic selection, maybe?) The interesting thing though is that now at least one of these cousins of mine demonstrate Aspie traits (don't think she's aspie, but she shares a number of similarities with me for a second cousin). She enjoys reading and science, and is casual towards the subjects she doesn't like. Another cousin, then aged 4, fought with her for my hand considering I had met the latter for only the first time. Another cousin whom I've never met displays more Aspie symptoms. He's ten and loves reading extensively in the library.

The first girl's and her brothers' speech is almost pedantic, grammatical and barely accented for their age. They don't use the local accent, and neither do they imitate the American accent some kids here do.

LOL

yes they love me and i love them