Mom Shamed for Telling Autistic Daughter She Can’t Be a Psychologist: ‘Doesn’t Have the Social Skills Needed’
A parent was slammed on Reddit for "picking" their autistic daughter's "career for her."
The mom explained her daughter wants to major in psychology, while the parent is pushing the teen to study computer technology instead.
The woman shared the 17-year-old has the ability to be "one of the greatest data scientists ever" as she is an extremely "smart girl."
"It's an incredibly rewarding job for her, especially since technology is the way to go for the future and the country we live in is expensive," the mom wrote via Reddit. "As a computer scientist myself, I've always loved my job."
She expressed her daughter doesn't want to embark on a career in computer technology despite the mom "influencing" her child to do so since she was 10.
"She was initially excited but doesn't want to anymore," she continued. "She says that she wants to be a psychologist and now wants to have a business major."
The woman told her daughter that she "doesn't have the social skills needed" to become a psychologist as it isn't a "right fit" for her due to her being autistic.
"Hell, she couldn't handle her brothers well, how is she supposed to deal with adults with psychological issues?" she wrote. "The latter as well because it involves dealing with people that can be immature as hell. Also she took a business course in grade 10 and she ended up not liking it so why would she take an entire university program."
The woman recently sat down with her daughter to discuss college programs. The teen wanted to focus on the "commerce programs," while the mom kept pushing her to look into the computer science programs.
"At the end, she asked if I would support her no matter what she picks. I laughed and told her not to give me a scare," she added. "'So it's a no then?' she asked. I told her that she can take her highlighter, highlight the programs she's interested in, and we can discuss."
The daughter told her mom she complains about any program that isn't in the technology field, and she replied the tech field is "very rewarding."
The frustrated teen scoffed that she doesn't care if the field makes her rich, as she "hates" computer technology and is frustrated that she's being forced to consider it.
"She says it's her future, not mine, and not everyone wants to be a tech scientist," the mom wrote. "She asked how I [would] feel if my father tried to push me to the law field since it's a rewarding job despite me having no interest in social sciences. Then she stormed out."
In the comments, users were outraged by the mom's post, with many suggesting she needs to stop trying to control her daughter's life.
"Awww sorry your kid doesn't want to be EXACTLY LIKE YOU. She's her own person, so let her be," one person wrote.
"Autistic people make great psychologists for other autistic people. I wish that I could find one. Neurotypical psychologists keep trying to 'cute cure' my autism and it makes me not want to seek help for my problems," another commented.
"It's her life. I thought the same thing about my neurodivergent daughter but she chose psychology and wants to help children like her. She's doing great!" someone else shared.