Wtf. Children experience empathy from when they first develop the ability to understand what is happening around them. They aren’t unfeeling psychopaths, they might be idiots that don’t understand what they are doing is impacting others, but they don’t suddenly grow a conscience and feel empathy. This is bad parenting to even consider thinking that way. You are probably a psychopath if you see your child as a psychopath, one that shouldn’t have a child.
Children below a certain age are completely incapable of understanding simplified and abstracted relationships that are not directly their own. Escpecially not when its in the shape of animated 2D characters on a screen. Death is something you dont even start conceptualizing until like 4 years old.
My daughter was 3 when she was watching me play Final Fantasy 4. Cid jumped out of the airship and blew himself up.
She screamed turn it off and ran out of the room. We found her crying in the corner of the room and her mum asked what happened. In between sobbing she choked out “… Cid…” and that was all she could say until she calmed down.
That’s just one example. Plenty of other times she’s just covered her eyes and said she doesn’t want to watch anymore if people are arguing on screen, or a death is involved.
So you don’t think it just may have been scary? Kids get scared early on, but being able to imagine what other people are feeling, and therefore feeling that too (empathy) comes later
Also, everyone develops differently. Its possible that 3 year old did understand the situation, but its also possible they didn’t. Everyone develops different things at different rates and that’s OK.
Having kids really tuned up my response to media involving kids. I just barely got through the first season of Broadchurch, and have no desire to watch any more.
I’m autistic. I didn’t actually understand empathy until 4th grade. As an adult, I have an overly responsive justice sensitivity. Neurodivergent people don’t just act different, they develop differently and will never fit into your boxes.
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Wtf. Children experience empathy from when they first develop the ability to understand what is happening around them. They aren’t unfeeling psychopaths, they might be idiots that don’t understand what they are doing is impacting others, but they don’t suddenly grow a conscience and feel empathy. This is bad parenting to even consider thinking that way. You are probably a psychopath if you see your child as a psychopath, one that shouldn’t have a child.
No.
Children below a certain age are completely incapable of understanding simplified and abstracted relationships that are not directly their own. Escpecially not when its in the shape of animated 2D characters on a screen. Death is something you dont even start conceptualizing until like 4 years old.
I call bullshit.
My daughter was 3 when she was watching me play Final Fantasy 4. Cid jumped out of the airship and blew himself up.
She screamed turn it off and ran out of the room. We found her crying in the corner of the room and her mum asked what happened. In between sobbing she choked out “… Cid…” and that was all she could say until she calmed down.
That’s just one example. Plenty of other times she’s just covered her eyes and said she doesn’t want to watch anymore if people are arguing on screen, or a death is involved.
So you don’t think it just may have been scary? Kids get scared early on, but being able to imagine what other people are feeling, and therefore feeling that too (empathy) comes later
Also, everyone develops differently. Its possible that 3 year old did understand the situation, but its also possible they didn’t. Everyone develops different things at different rates and that’s OK.
Oh look, a calm, measured, reasonable comment on the internet.
I don’t think I felt empathy until my daughter was born. Now, there are episodes of Forensic Files I can’t watch anymore. It’s really annoying.
Having kids really tuned up my response to media involving kids. I just barely got through the first season of Broadchurch, and have no desire to watch any more.
I’m autistic. I didn’t actually understand empathy until 4th grade. As an adult, I have an overly responsive justice sensitivity. Neurodivergent people don’t just act different, they develop differently and will never fit into your boxes.