Generally speaking, I’m not known to be a sympathetic person or empathetic for that matter. It’s just a personality thing… but I have an extreme lack of any feeling whatsoever for children (0-6 years old). I’m a tad bit concerned because I don’t believe it’s normal. I’m aware that teens in general lack empathy because that part of their brain (prefrontal cortex?) isn’t quite developed until adulthood, right? Am I overreacting? Is this something to be concerned about? Or is this normal?
I don’t necessarily think this is a problem. Perhaps you don’t know any children in that age range. If you had personal relationships with children, you may feel differently.
People typically feel empathy and sympathy in response to sad situations. In the absence of a specific event, there is no right or wrong way to feel about people in specific age groups. It is also difficult to have empathy or sympathy for strangers.
If a more specific problem should develop regarding this issue, please write again. Thanks for your question.
Dr. Kristina Randle