u/GranniesGaming

My son is 13 years old, turning 14 in a couple of months. I really have no idea how I should treat him due to his current lifestyle. I feel like I am in a “Young Sheldon” type situation. He is in 10th grade, doing half dual enrollment, and next school year he will be doing full in-person dual enrollment at a college.

He has been homeschooled for the past seven years, and this is his first and only year in high school, so I am unsure how to approach parenting him. He does not act like a typical 13-year-old in terms of maturity. He mostly cares about his pets, family, and making money. I asked him why he does not talk or interact with children his age, and he responded with something that really left me dumbfounded:

“The reason I don't interact with children my own age is because they are all ticking time bombs and unpredictable. Children my age do not have a true concept of right and wrong; they would lie to save their own skin while I would face the consequences. I do not like unpredictability.”

That concerns me. He has social media, mostly unrestricted. The only reason I allowed that is because he does not interact with bad actors or watch inappropriate content. I installed a monitoring app so I can see everything. His screen time is extremely high, but not in a traditional “bad” way. Most of it is spent reading the Wall Street Journal, Forbes, Harvard Business Review, AI and financial sources, and similar material.

I really wish I was making this up. I have no idea what started this or how to remedy this situation. I am at a loss for words regarding his business knowledge and level of concern.

I go through his contact list and see about 10 people labeled as “future contact” or similar notes. Some of them appear to be CEOs. He started this behavior as early as age 9, when he wanted to attend a business conference and took notes during a talk where Steve Forbes was present. At 9 years old, he received a signed magazine.

He treats everything as a risk. I do not know what to do. I have tried taking away screen time, but he finds other ways to access business articles. He has also invested all his money into different stocks and development projects, only leaving some money for his reptiles.

I feel lost and need guidance. Should I put restrictions on his phone? Should I treat him the same as his age group, or differently? I am not sure. I have asked him about relationships and whether he has a girlfriend, and he said they are “calculated risks” and that any relationship that does not make you money should be cut off, except family. I have even put money into some of the investments he is involved in as well.

My son is 13 years old, turning 14 in a couple of months. I really have no idea how I should treat him due to his current lifestyle. I feel like I am in a “Young Sheldon” type situation. He is in 10th grade, doing half dual enrollment, and next school year he will be doing full in-person dual enrollment at a college.

He has been homeschooled for the past seven years, and this is his first and only year in high school, so I am unsure how to approach parenting him. He does not act like a typical 13-year-old in terms of maturity. He mostly cares about his pets, family, and making money. I asked him why he does not talk or interact with children his age, and he responded with something that really left me dumbfounded:

“The reason I don't interact with children my own age is because they are all ticking time bombs and unpredictable. Children my age do not have a true concept of right and wrong; they would lie to save their own skin while I would face the consequences. I do not like unpredictability.”

That concerns me. He has social media, mostly unrestricted. The only reason I allowed that is because he does not interact with bad actors or watch inappropriate content. I installed a monitoring app so I can see everything. His screen time is extremely high, but not in a traditional “bad” way. Most of it is spent reading the Wall Street Journal, Forbes, Harvard Business Review, AI and financial sources, and similar material.

I really wish I was making this up. I have no idea what started this or how to remedy this situation. I am at a loss for words regarding his business knowledge and level of concern.

I go through his contact list and see about 10 people labeled as “future contact” or similar notes. Some of them appear to be CEOs. He started this behavior as early as age 9, when he wanted to attend a business conference and took notes during a talk where Steve Forbes was present. At 9 years old, he received a signed magazine and a personal email.

He treats everything as a risk. I do not know what to do. I have tried taking away screen time, but he finds other ways to access business articles. He has also invested all his money into different stocks and development projects, only leaving some money for his reptiles.

I feel lost and need guidance. Should I put restrictions on his phone? Should I treat him the same as his age group, or differently? I am not sure. I have asked him about relationships and whether he has a girlfriend, and he said they are “calculated risks” and that any relationship that does not make you money should be cut off, except family. I have even put money into some of the investments he is involved in as well.