Why Adults Infantilize Children & Deny Agency

1. The Power & Control Dynamic

At its core, infantilization is often a tool used to maintain a sense of power within a relationship. According to experts at Verywell Mind
https://www.verywellmind.com/what-is-infantilization-5194849
...adults may deny agency to ensure children remain reliant on them, effectively suppressing the child's ability to make independent decisions.

2. Misguided Protectionism

Many adults believe they are helping by hovering or deciding for the child to prevent failure. This overprotective parenting, as noted by Rekindle Wellness, inadvertently denies children age-appropriate challenges, leading to "learned helplessness" where the child stops trying to exercise agency.

3. Adultism & Systemic Bias

Infantilization is frequently a symptom of adultism—a systemic prejudice that views young people as inherently less capable or valid. Groundbreaker Therapy https://groundbreakertherapy.com/blog/adultism/ ... explains that this bias leads adults to dismiss opinions or invalidate ideas simply because of a person's age.

4. Psychological Extensions of Self

• Identity: Some parents view "parenthood" as their entire identity and feel threatened by a child’s growing independence.
• Narcissism: Parents with narcissistic tendencies may see children as an extension of themselves rather than separate beings with their own agency, as discussed on E-Counseling.com.
  https://www.e-counseling.com/articles/causes-and-symptoms-of-infantilization/

5. Institutional Justification

In legal and social systems, infantilization is sometimes used to nullify a child's decisions under the guise of protecting "innocence." This is particularly prevalent in immigration systems where children's rationales are ignored to fit a passive, dependent narrative, according to research in Children & Society. https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1111/chso.12919

Denying agency doesn't just "keep them safe"—
it erodes self-esteem and hinders the development of critical life skills.

Adults infantilize children, don't they?

Adult Infantilization and the Denial of Agency

• Decision-Making Control: Limiting an individual's ability to make their own choices.
• Communication Styles: Using "baby talk" or simple language diminishes perceived competence.
• Protection vs. Agency: Using protection as a rationale to nullify a person's decisions.
• Erosion of Independence: Micromanaging tasks that a person can handle independently.

Have children saved many adult lives?

Yes, children have saved many adult lives...

They contribute both through heroic individual actions in emergencies and through broader public health initiatives.

Individual Acts of Heroism

Children often act as first responders in domestic emergencies. Documented cases include:

• Medical Emergencies: Children as young as five have saved parents by performing basic life support, calling emergency services, or guiding first responders.
• Physical Rescues: In one instance, a 5-year-old pulled her seizing mother from a pool. Another young girl flagged down help after a car crash.
li>Protection: Some children have intervened during home invasions to defend family members.

Systematic Life-Saving Through Schools

Training children in life-saving skills effectively increases adult survival rates:

• Bystander CPR: Initiatives like "Kids Save Lives" train schoolchildren in resuscitation, which has significantly improved out-of-hospital cardiac arrest survival rates.
• Information Relay: Children pass learned skills to parents, improving the overall resuscitation skills of the general public.

Longevity and Long-Term Health

Research suggests that having children can extend an adult's life:

• Increased Lifespan: A study by the University of Michigan found that parents have a 5% to 10% longevity advantage.
• Health Motivation: Parents often adopt healthier lifestyles to ensure they can care for their children.