Anonymous
05/18/2026 10:14
Subject: Too afraid to cross road alone
This sounds exactly like my 17 year old who has autism and severe anxiety.
Anonymous
05/18/2026 10:07
Subject: Re:Too afraid to cross road alone
Anonymous wrote:Anonymous wrote:Anonymous wrote:Anonymous wrote:Anonymous wrote:Op. It’s a very long and very busy road. She doesn’t have any diagnosis.
But has she been evaluated for anything? What you're describing is unusual behavior for a 17 year old, plus the no friends thing. Does she drive yet and how is that going?
OP. No, I didn’t think it was necessary. She’s not ready to drive yet.
What do you mean by she isn’t ready?
According to who?
OP It’s a big transition, and she’s just not ready yet. All kids are different. She doesn’t go anywhere by herself a lot yet besides walking around the neighborhood, because there isn’t a need since she doesn’t go anywhere.
Both you and DD should seek professionals for diagnostics. For the best of you both.
Anonymous
05/17/2026 16:49
Subject: Re:Too afraid to cross road alone
My kid sounds like your kid, although mine has formal diagnoses of anxiety and autism. My kid is now in the first year of community college, and mastering many life skills that classmates had figured out when they were younger.
Just mentioning this to say that you might consider community college for your kid to give them a little more time.
Just mentioning this to say that you might consider community college for your kid to give them a little more time.
Anonymous
05/17/2026 16:41
Subject: Re:Too afraid to cross road alone
Anonymous wrote:Anonymous wrote:Anonymous wrote:Anonymous wrote:Anonymous wrote:Op. It’s a very long and very busy road. She doesn’t have any diagnosis.
But has she been evaluated for anything? What you're describing is unusual behavior for a 17 year old, plus the no friends thing. Does she drive yet and how is that going?
OP. No, I didn’t think it was necessary. She’s not ready to drive yet.
What do you mean by she isn’t ready?
According to who?
OP It’s a big transition, and she’s just not ready yet. All kids are different. She doesn’t go anywhere by herself a lot yet besides walking around the neighborhood, because there isn’t a need since she doesn’t go anywhere.
You wrote this post, so clearly this concerned you. Everyone else here is telling you they too would be concerned and your 17 year old jas been oddly infantilized in a multitude of ways.
Yet you just respond with excuses of why it’s ok. It’s not ok. You should stop putting your head in the sand.
Anonymous
05/17/2026 07:10
Subject: Re:Too afraid to cross road alone
Go out and practice crossing busy streets with her.
Anonymous
05/16/2026 18:11
Subject: Re:Too afraid to cross road alone
She’s still a kid. She doesn’t need to have all life skills mastered just yet. I’d just make sure she’s comfortable with and know to navigate public spaces alone. That’s super important.
Anonymous
05/16/2026 15:28
Subject: Too afraid to cross road alone
Anonymous wrote:Anonymous wrote:Anonymous wrote:My kid is 13 and crosses roads just fine.
OP youve started this late but it’s not too late.
If you go out to eat, have her order her own food, if she needs help in a store, have her ask herself.
Come up with errands you need her to run for you, that force the independence, like going in the grocery store, getting a couple of things then checking out herself,
Why doesn’t she have any friends? What does she do after school and on weekends?
OP She does order her own food, and asks for help in stores. She’s scared to go shop by herself, but we’re working on it. She usually forgets how to swipe the card when at the cash register.
She doesn’t have any friends because she feels content without any. She prefers to be alone and doesn’t see the need for friends, and she doesn’t like going out/hanging out with people. After school and on weekends, she does her activities, and she comes home and watches TV, or reads books, or spends time with family.
This is more than the road. I don’t know if you’ve infantilized her or whether she has congenital disorder(s), but either way, she needs professional help. It’s abnormal for a 17 year old to have no friends, be afraid to shop, and be stymied at swiping a card. There are so many things and combinations of things that this could be, I don’t want to internet diagnose. She needs to have thorough neuropsych work up ASAP
+1
Anonymous
05/16/2026 15:20
Subject: Re:Too afraid to cross road alone
Anonymous wrote:Anonymous wrote:Anonymous wrote:Anonymous wrote:Op. It’s a very long and very busy road. She doesn’t have any diagnosis.
But has she been evaluated for anything? What you're describing is unusual behavior for a 17 year old, plus the no friends thing. Does she drive yet and how is that going?
OP. No, I didn’t think it was necessary. She’s not ready to drive yet.
What do you mean by she isn’t ready?
According to who?
OP It’s a big transition, and she’s just not ready yet. All kids are different. She doesn’t go anywhere by herself a lot yet besides walking around the neighborhood, because there isn’t a need since she doesn’t go anywhere.
Anonymous
05/16/2026 13:58
Subject: Re:Too afraid to cross road alone
Anonymous wrote:Anonymous wrote:Anonymous wrote:Op. It’s a very long and very busy road. She doesn’t have any diagnosis.
But has she been evaluated for anything? What you're describing is unusual behavior for a 17 year old, plus the no friends thing. Does she drive yet and how is that going?
OP. No, I didn’t think it was necessary. She’s not ready to drive yet.
What do you mean by she isn’t ready?
According to who?
Anonymous
05/16/2026 13:15
Subject: Too afraid to cross road alone
Troll.
Anonymous
05/16/2026 13:12
Subject: Too afraid to cross road alone
How is this real? What's going to happen when this person moves out and goes to college?
Anonymous
05/16/2026 13:01
Subject: Too afraid to cross road alone
It is not normal that a younger kid can figure out how to cross the road. 10th grade is not 17.
She is special needs and OP is covering it up.
She is special needs and OP is covering it up.
Anonymous
05/16/2026 12:56
Subject: Too afraid to cross road alone
Anonymous wrote:Anonymous wrote:My kid is 13 and crosses roads just fine.
OP youve started this late but it’s not too late.
If you go out to eat, have her order her own food, if she needs help in a store, have her ask herself.
Come up with errands you need her to run for you, that force the independence, like going in the grocery store, getting a couple of things then checking out herself,
Why doesn’t she have any friends? What does she do after school and on weekends?
OP She does order her own food, and asks for help in stores. She’s scared to go shop by herself, but we’re working on it. She usually forgets how to swipe the card when at the cash register.
She doesn’t have any friends because she feels content without any. She prefers to be alone and doesn’t see the need for friends, and she doesn’t like going out/hanging out with people. After school and on weekends, she does her activities, and she comes home and watches TV, or reads books, or spends time with family.
This is more than the road. I don’t know if you’ve infantilized her or whether she has congenital disorder(s), but either way, she needs professional help. It’s abnormal for a 17 year old to have no friends, be afraid to shop, and be stymied at swiping a card. There are so many things and combinations of things that this could be, I don’t want to internet diagnose. She needs to have thorough neuropsych work up ASAP
Anonymous
05/16/2026 12:40
Subject: Too afraid to cross road alone
Anonymous wrote:Anonymous wrote:Anonymous wrote:My kid is 13 and crosses roads just fine.
OP youve started this late but it’s not too late.
If you go out to eat, have her order her own food, if she needs help in a store, have her ask herself.
Come up with errands you need her to run for you, that force the independence, like going in the grocery store, getting a couple of things then checking out herself,
Why doesn’t she have any friends? What does she do after school and on weekends?
OP She does order her own food, and asks for help in stores. She’s scared to go shop by herself, but we’re working on it. She usually forgets how to swipe the card when at the cash register.
She doesn’t have any friends because she feels content without any. She prefers to be alone and doesn’t see the need for friends, and she doesn’t like going out/hanging out with people. After school and on weekends, she does her activities, and she comes home and watches TV, or reads books, or spends time with family.
She forgets how to swipe a card? What’s to forget - you just swipe. Things aren’t adding up here.
She forgets which way to flip the card to swipe it. She knows how to insert the card when it has a chip.