I have a relative who’s son, about 10 year old, seems to be fond of me. He is an avid talker. He will talk about anything and everything with me. Problem is, he doesn’t understand that I’m an introverted piece of shit. Even though I like being with him when I feel like talking, other times I can’t match his energy and feel exhausted. To just ignore what he’s saying and stop responding all of a sudden makes me feel bad. He’s really a good kid. How do I tell him to give me a break without hurting him?

  • givesomefucks@lemmy.worldEnglish
    942·
    5 days ago

    Treat him like a grown up.

    Be honest that some people need peace and quiet and while you enjoy spending time with him you can’t handle it all the time.

    He’s old enough to understand it, and you’ll do a better job explaining it than some 10 year old he knows from school.

    Kids are sponges and learn social cues like that really quickly, but someone has to tell them what’s going on. There is absolutely nothing wrong with telling a kid that age to chill out

    • fmstrat@lemmy.nowsci.comEnglish
      2·
      2 days ago

      Agree 99%. Two caveats:

      • In situations like this, yes. But there are certainly many situations a 10 year old is not equipped to deal with that adults are, because:
      • Remember that 10 year olds do not have the same comprehension, vocabulary, or mental resilience of an adult. Words can have long-term effects on their development that they might not for most adults.

      (Saying this for OP more than for you, BTW)