Are special interest frowned upon as you get older?

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Yes and no.

Yes, I have to keep my interests quiet at work, because they would never understand my love for all things Harry Potter.

At home, I can wear my fandom t-shirts, I can post my fandom stuff and think about my fandom tattoo (which is likely to be something like the deathly hallows or something related to my Hogwarts house).

I have a few friends who get it, and most others just suffer through it.

So, I would say yes sometimes in some place or some social settings it can be frowned upon, but in others it is OK. The key is to find out which social setting your interests are OK in, and which it is better not to talk about it.

If somebody hurts you because of it by saying that you are silly or stupid or too old for stuff like that (I am almost 40 years old, but so is actually Harry Potter himself, since he was born in 1980!! ! lol) then just say WHATEVER and walk away.

Sadly many or most NT people don't get it, but well, that is their loss in the end.

Thankfully, most NT people I have met have been understanding, and those who aren't, I have never told about my special interests anyway.

I think so. As we get older, intense special interests in things that do not lead to income or not related to social relationships such as family and friends are sometimes seen as immature and even selfish.

But our interests fill the void created by our so-called deficits. The intensity of my interests has declined somewhat over the years but I don't really have the ability to just turn them off.

my special interests are very childish and i used to/occasionally get picked on for them, i remember even in middle school when i was younger than i am now i got fun of for liking my little pony!! ! now i think people dont make fun of me but im very sensitive about my interests.

I am going to express gratitude for the special interest in "How things work", electronics, sound and vision, which made my choice of study after school easier to make and helped me into the line of work which has kept a roof over my head and food on my table for the last 31 Years.

I will also express gratitude for the intense interest in cycle touring which prevented my day job becoming an all consuming matter, kept me fit and healthy and gave me productive social stuff based around the special interest.

As I came out regarding the area where my sexuality lies,,that too became a bit of a special interest ( but that is for a different forum) and led me into the state where I am in a relationship meeting the needs of all parties, giving a surplus to help us all live better in the world, and seems to be gloriously low maintenance..

The interests seem to changevwith age, but what seems a constant is the inclination and ability to take an intense interest in something.

Folks who have donned German helmets in the last 70 years usually have done so to deliberately look anti social, and to look evil, and sinister (famously Hell's Angels, and other bikers). So your mom is right in warning you that that is the message you're sending (like going around wearing a swastika). Just sayin that that's the equation most folks would make about what the message is that you are trying to send.

you're the first person I have ever run across who makes the equation: German helmet = Sgt. Schultz = lovable oaf ergo- if I wear a German helmet folks will think of me as the lovable oaf that I am.

So don't be surprised if other folks don't automatically "take that same mental journey" as you if they see you wearing a German helmet.

Just warning you. I suppose its partially a generational thing. My parents grew up during the war, and my Boomer generation was only one generation removed from it. But you're a little farther removed from it. Maybe the evil storm trooper associations are waning now. I dunno. Whatever floats your boat. Just be aware.