Are animals and children attracted to you?

[Crazi]

This is how it goes with me and other dogs. I'm all like "you're cute but don't be so trusting and chipper- I'm too lazy and scatter brained to remember to feed you. Plus what is this concept of -physical . . .play?- They're all like- "Lost cause. Noted." and move on to the next person who actually loves them.

 

[142857]

Yes.

I think children recognise me as an oversized child.

Animals tend to like me as well.

 

[Kailee]

Lol yes! I remember when I was young (like around 7) and this one cat that normally HATED kids came up to me and let me pet her when she first met me. It shocked everybody.

 

[Vaegrant]

Yes, as well as many of the developmentally disabled guests that come in my store. My theory is that since I rarely ever make eye contact, I neither present myself as confrontational or demanding of anything from them.

 

[Archer36]

I love animals in general ... I don't know if they like me tho, I never asked them.
I really dislike babies ... they make me extremely uncomfortable and I can't stand when they are crying ... it hurts.
I'm okay with Teenagers .. lets say 14+ ... they seem to like me too. Then they get adult and they ignore me like all the others. hehe

 

[Matthew Hendrickson]

Most animals will come right over to me and let me pet them. A therapy dog for one of the girls at my church comes over, licks me, lets me hug her, and even went belly up for a tummy rub the other night. For the most part, kids love me. I can't even begin to count how many kids when I worked at Target would look up at me and call me Daddy, and no I've never had kids with anyone. There's a toddler from another church I went to that as soon as she saw me, she'd run over, and wrap her arms around my legs.


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[Sev]

I would say that animals are, particularly cats. As for children, I don't really give them the chance to "gravitate" towards me.
As a child I remember getting on quite well with the neighborhood cats, they would always let me pat them and they would run away from pretty much everyone else that would try the same

 

[Ezra]

Animals that aren't friendly with others are with me. And babies always crawl towards me.

 

[rollerskate]

Even before I had my son, kids gravitated towards me. I was just way more nervous around them because I never have interacted with kids much even as a kid myself. It's only gotten worse since I've had my own, but at least now I'm not so scared of them. I think a lot of it has to do with my demeanor and the way I treat my own son. I'm very nice, laid back, quiet. With my son I'm firm but retain my composure... You won't see me screaming/yelling at him unless it's something major and I've already repeated myself enough to have to raise my voice, and I'm quite diplomatic in the way I deal with him, always explaining things and trying to be fair and reach agreements with him as opposed to "just do what I tell you to". Not that I won't resort to straight up authoritarianism if nothing else works or there's no time for the rest, but I start off trying to keep things amicable. I think kids notice all of this about me and see me as someone that's on their side and understands them (or at least tries to). Plus it helps that they tend to be just as literal and concrete as I am in the way they communicate.

Animals do the same, but again, I think it's my demeanor. I will acknowledge them and talk to them in a friendly manner without trying to get too close or touch them. I let them come to me and sniff me out without any sudden moves until they indicate in some way they're OK with me touching them.

 

[garnetflower13]

I've had others comment how their dogs will come right to me even though they might avoid others or are hostile toward others. As for children, for some reason I'm like a "kid magnet," which actually bothers me. I like kids, but in this day and age, a single man with kids hanging around is eyed with great suspicion. That is why I make it a point to never be left alone with kids. When I've taught children's Sunday school at church, I've always made sure I had a helper. Still, I've been unable to figure out what it is about my personality that attracts children. The closest explanation I've gotten was from the parents of some kids at church. They said, "You're like everyone's uncle." That's nice, but I'd rather not be everyone's uncle. Rumors and innuendo can start real easy and spread like wildfire.

As a female, I find it a bit easier to be on the receiving end of joyous smiles from little children who are riding in shopping carts while their parents shop. Sometimes the mother will smile at me too, but usually they look puzzled. I mean,these kids light up as if I am a long lost friend or something. I do feel uncomfortable only because of the grownups reactions to me. When I was a child, cats would follow me home. I had eight cats at one time!

 

[Andy R]

Yes, especially cats and dogs. I've even managed to handfeed a wild fieldmouse in the garden

 

[MyGreyMatter]

TBH, children are attracted to Adults, its so hardwired into them they will put up with serious abuse & neglect. I'm not good with children ofc but children are still drawn to me just like any other adult.

 

[Judge]

Yes, especially cats and dogs. I've even managed to handfeed a wild fieldmouse in the garden

I'm dying to get closer to all the desert cottontail rabbits that roam around my apartment building. But unless you're a quail it's likely that they just run in the opposite direction when they seem me coming. I guess the best I can do is to leave carrots out for them from time to time. They're such timid creatures, however in this local ecosystem there are some serious predators apart from man. Their instincts serve them well...

 

[Andy R]

 

[garnetflower13]

TBH, children are attracted to Adults, its so hardwired into them they will put up with serious abuse & neglect. I'm not good with children ofc but children are still drawn to me just like any other adult.

I think I have to disagree with that. Children are individuals and don't necessarily feel attracted indiscriminately to all adults. They may feel in awe of adults, because children are in a sense, hardwired that way. They are also hardwired to expect adults to be caretakers or provide the voice of wisdom. Speaking as a mother, I saw that my daughter did not necessarily feel friendly nor drawn towards all adults. She had her favorite grownups, and then there were some adults that she intensely disliked. As for children putting up with serious abuse and neglect, they really haven't much of a choice; it's not as if they can move out and take care of themselves.

 

[MyGreyMatter]

As for children putting up with serious abuse and neglect, they really haven't much of a choice; it's not as if they can move out and take care of themselves.

I take your point. My experience was that I was highly inadequate as a caretaker but the kids still hung off me despite having an more empathic alternative. It was sssslow learning to relate to the kids a matter of years, perhaps they were insecure & persisted for that reason. I did the occasional Aspie Meltdown in front of them, they might of got the idea it wasn't them and it would pass quickly.

As for serious abuse, the kids put up with that from their biological father maybe because he was a superior "provider". My ex-gf, the biological mother & I would provide the emotional support to these kids. We were both basketcases.

 

[garnetflower13]

MyGreyMatter: I truly think that kids get attracted to people on the spectrum because they may feel that we are big "kids" on the inside!

 

[Ste11aeres]

but in this day and age, a single man with kids hanging around is eyed with great suspicion.

A real pity, especially since in this day and age might be becoming more common. Statistics on Stay-At-Home Dads - National At-Home Dad Network

 

[Timmy1]

lol maybe because people with asd or whatever are human just like anyone else?

 

[meff]

I've noticed recently that kids seem to like me a lot even though I get really awkward and confused around them and don't always know how to interact. They speak quickly and don't articulate, and my slow processing doesn't quite mesh with that. Also I'm just not that imaginative on the spot and so many kids are always firing on all cylinders in that department. It surprises me how much I hear later from kids' parents that they really enjoyed my company specifically. At the same time, I'm an adult who still looks more or less like a teenager, and kids love "older kids," so it might have something to do with that in my case. Could be both though.

If it really is an ASD pattern (though ofc not universal by any means), it might be a combination of the fact that so many of us are outwardly nonthreatening and how we often operate similar to children. Kids are generally very literal, honest, inquisitive, and don't have patience for social subtleties and unspoken rules, so the fact that many ASD folks share similar perspectives probably makes us easier to relate to. A lot of us share way more interests with children than most adults, too. But that's just a theory of mine.