Teen Diagnosed As Being "Afraid to Grow Up"

Now, I don't know whether the alleged abuse could've been the cause; but, I feel like moomy treating him like a younger chyld did not help. In fact, I can't help but wonder if moo was the root cause, considering how many smothers can't seem to deal with the idea of their baybees growing up and not needing them. Considering this 'condition' is apparently so rare that there have only been 2 other documented cases (both in adults), I can't help but think it was more the way he was being raised more than anything else.

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A 14-year-old boy in Mexico had such an intense fear of growing up that he took extreme steps to hide or curb his growth, such as restricting his food intake and distorting his voice, according to a new report of his case.

The boy's phobia started when he was about 11 years old. He had learned that nutrients in food would cause him to grow — so he ate less, and lost more than 26 lbs. (about 12 kilograms), according to the report from the health workers who treated him.

In addition, he stooped over to hide his height, and distorted his voice so that he spoke in a higher pitch.

"Every time he notices a physical change that indicates that he is growing, he feels fear and anxiety, to the point that [he] has considered undergoing multiple surgeries to hide it," the researchers wrote in their report, published Dec. 21 in the journal Case Reports in Psychiatry. "He also believes that once he reaches [adulthood], he is more likely to get sick and die, all of which are very overwhelming." [What Really Scares People: Top 10 Phobias]

The boy's mother also treats him as if he were younger — for example, by singing him lullabies and choosing what he wears each day.

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Sounds like a fear of mortality to me.

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catharsist
Sounds like a fear of mortality to me.

That, and he's probably afraid that moomy won't love him once he grows up.

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mumofsixbirds
he's probably afraid that moomy won't love him once he grows up.

She probably won't unless his drips out a few grandbrats for her. Then, he will always be second place after that. Any mental issue someone has, there is a 90% chance that their breeders (usually the moo) have made it worse.

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"I have found little that is 'good' about human beings on the whole. In my experience most of them are trash, no matter whether they publicly subscribe to this or that ethical doctrine or to none at all."
~Sigmund Freud

I'm also leaning more toward a nurture issue rather than nature. It's not hard to tell that Moos will lavish attention on their kids less and less as they get older because they quit being cute baybees and slowly grow into more independent children with personalities. Moos don't like that. Plus, the logic this kid is following sounds like odd shit for a teenager to believe. Most kids can't wait to grow up, and while some might be nervous about it, it's odd that they'd have a crippling fear of getting older. Though the kid's attempts to fight and/or hide his own aging are interesting, what with starving himself, hunching over and talking in a different voice.

Also:

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The boy's mother also treats him as if he were younger — for example, by singing him lullabies and choosing what he wears each day.

... Moo is not helping. I doubt very much being sexually abused by a neighbor and bullied by classmates contributed to this shit. They may have caused general mental illness, but this aging phobia thing is all Moo, IMHO. I have a feeling she would loudly lament the loss of her cute little prince and how he's growing up too fast, le sigh. So, in an attempt to win back Mommy's love and approval, he started trying to keep himself in a childlike state and halt the growth process. Moo probably didn't do a whole lot to stop it because she most likely was all for trying to keep her child as developmentally stunted as possible for as long as possible.

I wonder if this kid will grow up to have a baby/diaper fetish... I mean where they act like infants and get off on being diapered and changed like a baby.

I went through a phase of being afraid to get older, mostly because I was terrified of getting my period. I was bullied and I was obsessed by the idea that I would bleed on my pants in class and be humiliated.
I didn't take the extreme steps this kid did.

I didn't want to grow up, either, but it's because I wanted Peter Pan to come and take me away to Neverland, which would certainly have been better than staying in the abusive household I was in. I left my 2nd story window unlocked every night for years. Pretty sure it still is unlocked, actually, though I'll never go back to that house again.

but I wasn't afraid of growing up. I just didn't want to. I didn't eat because my parents told me I was fat without telling me how to be healthy, so I turned to the magazines for health tips which really was bad for my health.

I feel there's no way there wasn't more going on than just some kid randomly, out of nowhere, becoming afraid of growing up.

From what I can tell online and w/ some RL people in my world, this is not that unusual anymore. These kids have been coddled and hovered over, never learned to make an adult decision in their lives, they dont want to grow up one little bit. I'm on other boards w/ posters of all ages (music sites) and they dont want to drive, they are still virgins way past 20, many never been kissed by 18-21 etc., they are so afraid to do anything grown up. Parents are happy they are home and dont have to worry and they are content to live a vitual world via internet ( and porn) . It is bizarre. r

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peace-n-quiet

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mumofsixbirds
he's probably afraid that moomy won't love him once he grows up.

She probably won't unless his drips out a few grandbrats for her. Then, he will always be second place after that. Any mental issue someone has, there is a 90% chance that their breeders (usually the moo) have made it worse.

This is an extreme case, but isn't uncommon in general, not from what I've seen hanging out on the In-law dysfunction board.

She might acknowledge his maturity toward sex, but may not be able to accept that he is old enough to be a responsible parent. Any kids he produces, she may think she has to raise them. He'll still be a beloved son, but Mommy needs to be the one to decide what to name the child, how it will be reared, and who has control over its future. Oh - yeah - there is the mother of the child to be considered, but, really, she's only the incubator and doesn't count.

No matter the amount of counseling that young man is given, he'll never be a fully fledged adult as long as he is enmeshed with Mommy. And heaven forfend that he ever marries or takes a mate. Best that he doesn't, unless he is able to make a healthy break from Mommy.

He just sounds like a typical hipster guy in any US city.

There is definitely more behind this that we don't know about.

I can somewhat relate to this story since my puberty was the event that upset my mother for the rest of her life. It offended her on a personal level. Her desire for me to be six years old for the rest of my life resulted in some pretty bizarre things, like e.g. making me wear certain clothes she thought would make me look younger. :headbrick Imagine trying to 'dress younger' when you're thirteen? How would that even work? eyes2

Whenever I rebelled against this bullshit, my mother would put on her surly 'offended face' until I'd comply with her wishes. I had hair down to my ass when I was a kid and hated it, so when I entered my teenage years I wanted it cut. I didn't even want short hair or anything, I just wanted a good chunk cut off but my mom wouldn't allow it so I took the scissors and cut it off myself. My mother didn't speak to me for five days after that. So much drama over a couple inches of hair! I often wished I could be six forever too, it would've made life a lot easier!

Granted, the kid in this story is a boy, but who knows what bizarre ideas and obsessions his moo harbors? Let me remind you, just in case you might have forgotten, PMYABP...

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cf uter
they are still virgins way past 20, many never been kissed by 18-21 etc.

Okay, I have to be that person--what do you have against people who are virgins/haven't been kissed past age 18 or 20? I can't be the only asexual on this site who finds this comment off-putting. I definitely agree about the young people who refuse to find a job, get a place of their own, etc., but there are reasons why people haven't done sexual things that have nothing to do with refusing to grow up.

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saturnian catalina

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cf uter
they are still virgins way past 20, many never been kissed by 18-21 etc.

Okay, I have to be that person--what do you have against people who are virgins/haven't been kissed past age 18 or 20? I can't be the only asexual on this site who finds this comment off-putting. I definitely agree about the young people who refuse to find a job, get a place of their own, etc., but there are reasons why people haven't done sexual things that have nothing to do with refusing to grow up.

hankyou :yr

Thank you. I'm not asexual, but I was a late bloomer in that department because I was simply so shy and backwards. There should be no enforced timeline.

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saturnian catalina

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cf uter
they are still virgins way past 20, many never been kissed by 18-21 etc.

Okay, I have to be that person--what do you have against people who are virgins/haven't been kissed past age 18 or 20? I can't be the only asexual on this site who finds this comment off-putting. I definitely agree about the young people who refuse to find a job, get a place of their own, etc., but there are reasons why people haven't done sexual things that have nothing to do with refusing to grow up.

I think you misunderstand. I can't say for sure, but I think the people that cf uter was talking about were the types who would rather secretly fap to pr0n in their bedrooms than go out and meet real people.

I knew a girl like this. I met her in a coffee shop when I was doing retail. She was 30, a virgin, never touched a drink, all she ever did was eat. She lived at home with her parunts and was basically coddled like a loaf.

When I told her once that I was meeting up with a male friend to have a few beers, she flipped her shit on me and basically accused me of being an alcoholic and that I was probably going to have sex with the guy - even though I told her we were just friends. I had to explain to her that I had been drinking for many years and I'm still not an alcoholic, and just because he's male and I'm female doesn't mean we are going to have sex. She couldn't get the concept of two adults having a few beers together and just having a great time. Suddenly I was an alcoholic slut in her opinion. Shortly after that, our friendship dissolved because I found her to be too immature for my personal taste. It wasn't because she never drank or had sex that I couldn't hang out with her, it's because she was so damned judgmental and childish in her thinking.

Asexual people in my mind are totally different than this. I think it takes a great deal of maturity to understand this about yourself, and know what's best for you. We have a number of asexual people on our board who you will probably get to meet.

I would still be one if it wasn't for one overly pressuring boyfriend. I think it's just some act society thinks is a sign of social status and maturity, even though ultimately there is no value in 'losing it.'

I don't know why 'losing it' has become a social status thing, it's a pointless act really.

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saturnian catalina

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cf uter
they are still virgins way past 20, many never been kissed by 18-21 etc.

Okay, I have to be that person--what do you have against people who are virgins/haven't been kissed past age 18 or 20? I can't be the only asexual on this site who finds this comment off-putting. I definitely agree about the young people who refuse to find a job, get a place of their own, etc., but there are reasons why people haven't done sexual things that have nothing to do with refusing to grow up.

I was like that when I was in that age group. It was for many reasons, including I just wasn't very social and it just wasn't that important to me. I don't understand people who feel they constantly need to be in a relationship or have to have date every Saturday night and think anyone who doesn't think this way is a loser.

It never bothered me I didn't have a girlfriend, especially since the people I knew who did had a lot more drama in their lives than I. I also thought the relationship thing inevitably would lead to marriage and children, something else I didn't want so I preferred being alone.

I think maturity has more to do with being able to take care of yourself and be on your own, not sex.