u/OkMeal219

My 19-year-old autistic son has a best friend who is also autistic. They’ve been friends since they were 7, so they’ve basically grown up together. ❤️

For years, their hangouts were pretty simple—walking around the mall, playing video games, talking, and doing the usual things friends their age do. I was always grateful they had each other, but recently something changed.

Less than a month ago, they decided completely on their own to start a YouTube channel making cute animal videos.

I was apprehensive at first, but then I saw something I really loved.

They were brainstorming ideas, choosing clips, editing, writing captions, and figuring things out together. Creativity hasn't always come naturally to either of them, so seeing them get excited about creating something from scratch was wonderful.

For me, 20 views or 20,000 views made absolutely no difference. I was just proud of the process.

Then they discovered the analytics. 😭

Suddenly, every upload became about views and subscribers.

“Why did this one only get this many views?”

“You should have done it this way.”

“That was your idea.”

Now they're checking numbers constantly, blaming each other when a video doesn't do well, and getting increasingly frustrated. Their arguments have escalated to yelling, and recently they've both started saying maybe they should just quit.

And here I am thinking: Wait… this was supposed to be fun.

I keep telling them their channel isn't even a month old. Nobody starts a channel and instantly gets thousands of viewers. I tell them to forget the numbers and enjoy creating together.

But “just enjoy the process” doesn't seem to mean much when those numbers are sitting right there for them to see.

That's actually why I wanted to ask autistic adults rather than only other parents.

If you recognize any part of yourself in this situation, what would have helped you at their age?

Should I help them set boundaries around checking analytics? Encourage them to take a break from looking at views? Help them divide responsibilities so there's less blaming? Or should I stay out of it and let them figure this out together?

I don't really care if their channel succeeds.

I just don't want two young men who have been friends for 12 years to lose something good—or lose their friendship—because a number on a screen told them they weren't doing well enough.

I'd genuinely appreciate hearing how you would approach this, especially from autistic adults who understand this kind of frustration from the inside. ❤️

My 19-year-old autistic son has a best friend who is also autistic. They’ve been friends since they were 7, so they’ve basically grown up together. ❤️

For years, their hangouts were pretty simple—walking around the mall, playing video games, talking, and doing the usual things friends their age do. I was always grateful they had each other, but recently something changed.

Less than a month ago, they decided completely on their own to start a YouTube channel making cute animal videos.

I was apprehensive at first, but then I saw something I really loved.

They were brainstorming ideas, choosing clips, editing, writing captions, and figuring things out together. Creativity hasn't always come naturally to either of them, so seeing them get excited about creating something from scratch was wonderful.

For me, 20 views or 20,000 views made absolutely no difference. I was just proud of the process.

Then they discovered the analytics. 😭

Suddenly, every upload became about views and subscribers.

“Why did this one only get this many views?”

“You should have done it this way.”

“That was your idea.”

Now they're checking numbers constantly, blaming each other when a video doesn't do well, and getting increasingly frustrated. Their arguments have escalated to yelling, and recently they've both started saying maybe they should just quit.

And here I am thinking: Wait… this was supposed to be fun.

I keep telling them their channel isn't even a month old. Nobody starts a channel and instantly gets thousands of viewers. I tell them to forget the numbers and enjoy creating together.

But “just enjoy the process” doesn't seem to mean much when those numbers are sitting right there for them to see.

That's actually why I wanted to ask autistic adults rather than only other parents.

If you recognize any part of yourself in this situation, what would have helped you at their age?

Should I help them set boundaries around checking analytics? Encourage them to take a break from looking at views? Help them divide responsibilities so there's less blaming? Or should I stay out of it and let them figure this out together?

I don't really care if their channel succeeds.

I just don't want two young men who have been friends for 12 years to lose something good—or lose their friendship—because a number on a screen told them they weren't doing well enough.

I'd genuinely appreciate hearing how you would approach this, especially from autistic adults who understand this kind of frustration from the inside. ❤️