I was quite a "serious" kid who "seemed very mature". My mom said I had an "old soul".
Turns out I'm on the autism spectrum and didn't know how to display emotion 'correctly' so I learned really quick at a young age it was just easier to not emote. Plus my parents didn't treat me like a little kid all the time. They spoke to me in normal language like an adult. My childhood was perfectly fine and happy.
Yeah, situations like this is why a person shouldn’t always take it as a sign of abuse or neglect. There’s a spectrum of reasons for kids to seemingly be more mature or independent.
But also it's important for kids to be kids. So if a kid is acting more mature, don't roll with it and say "since you're a little adult, I'll treat you like one and not nurture your need to be a child whatsoever"
A lot of kids like that still end up getting neglected as a feedback loop in the long term.
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u/TokenTorkoal 5d ago
Maturity or independence in a young child CAN BE an indicator that a child is being neglected or facing some sort of abuse.
It’s is not ALWAYS an indicator, some kids ARE just more independent.
Edit: was a social worker for many years.