Yebbut a 13 year old crying because he is scared of walking to the nearby shops, particularly after boasting about how worldly he is??
Sorry, but that is just wrong and his parents need a good speaking too!
Jeez, I was able to walk to the shops alone at half his age!!
My son is 14. He has only recently been able to walk across the road to the newsagents/chip shop. It was a huge deal for him.
He is scared of dogs he doesn't know...even on a lead. He is very anxious about everything around him, from traffic passing, to strangers speaking to him.
He can now get the bus on his own for the first time (but only one route!).
He gives an air of confidence and can talk a good fight, but when put to the test, he falls to bits.
He has few friends and is very much a loner.
We have worked hard to get him to this point, and for the first time in his life, earlier this year, aged 13, he had a sleepover.
In public we have endured the stares, the 'tuts', the comments, from those around us who just presume our child is badly behaved because he's throwing a tantrum, when in actual fact he is experiencing sensory overload....the noises, the people, the bright lights in supermarkets, and is totally overwhelmed and scared.
Did I mention my son has Aspergers? And ADHD, and Cyclical Vomiting Syndrome?
Don't judge what you can't see.
Yes, the child maybe sheltered, have parents with money who give him all he wants....but maybe, just maybe, he has an underlying condition as well.
