A viral editorial saying adults shouldn't high-five children has parents sounding off
Does he have a point?

Giving a high-five to a kid who needs one.
John Rosemond, a 74-year-old columnist and family psychologist, has folks up in arms after he wrote a column about why he never gives children high-fives. The article, “Living With Children: You shouldn't high-five a child” was published on the Omaha World-Herald’s website on October 2.
The post reads like a verse from the “Get Off My Lawn” bible and posits that one should only share a high-five with someone who is one's equal.
"I will not slap the upraised palm of a person who is not my peer, and a peer is someone over age 21, emancipated, employed and paying their own way," the columnist wrote. "The high-five is NOT appropriate between doctor and patient, judge and defendant, POTUS and a person not old enough to vote (POTUS and anyone, for that matter), employer and employee, parent and child, grandparent and grandchild."
Does he ask to see a paystub before he high-fives adults?
“Respect for adults is important to a child’s character development, and the high-five is not compatible with respect,” he continues. “It is to be reserved for individuals of equal, or fairly equal, status.”
Rosemond believes that a child should “know their place” and that once they high-five an adult they have no reason to obey them.
Anecdotally, I’ve found that sharing a high-five with a kid has nothing to do with whether they will obey me or not. I coach AYSO soccer and give out high-fives till I’m bruised on game day and come next practice they are all great listeners.
The article got a big reaction on Twitter after it was shared by a user named erin, Ph.D.
\u201cWhat\u201d— erin, Ph.D (@erin, Ph.D) 1664802076
A lot of people had no trouble challenging Rosemond's logic.
I offered a high-five to a kid on Saturday at a party because he joined us on the dance floor and cut a rug. He rejected my high-five. Apparently, he didn’t see me as his equal? 🤔
— lisa (@gfxchick) October 3, 2022
Among my many questions for John is why the heck he holds the high-five in such high regard?
— Rob Hill (@robhill5) October 3, 2022
This is like so much time spent on an action that just seems like whatever. I have never given this much thought to a high five, or ever thought kids were less important than me .
— Kris Kinzie (@KinzieKris) October 3, 2022
"Children should feel small and insignificant" is not the way I would go.
— More Housing Choices; NH=neighborhood (@bnjd1837) October 3, 2022
Others took the opportunity to crack some jokes.
Dude got hit with the 'down low too slow' and now he's pissed
— nORMAL bRANDON (@higgs_bozo) October 3, 2022
The fact that we give children small, free gestures of affection is a sign that we are headed into a long, national nuclear winter
— Jane (@janetherevelatr) October 3, 2022
“Emancipated” tells you everything you need to know.
— The Jaw (@welivedhappily) October 3, 2022
The column made some realize they'd been ruining the nation's youth without knowing it.
I had not read this yet and I high fived 2 small children on the walk to school this morning. Aren’t I a menace.
— Emily (@theothermoody) October 3, 2022
Pediatric ER RN for 30 years and I flabbergasted that I ruined so many kids high-fiving them after blood draws and IV starts. I’m going to hell.
— Katy Perkins (@KatePOBrien) October 3, 2022
My 1.5 year old high fives us and I think it’s adorable, but I guess John has enlightened me that I’ve actually broken her. Dang it!
— Liz Lord (@mslizlord) October 3, 2022
30 years in public education as a teacher and administrator. I have easily high-fived more than a thousand children over the years, encouraging them with affirmations of "good morning" "have a great day" "well done" and "that's awesome" in the process . What a fool I've been.
— Rocky McDillweed-Chrysler 🌵 (@rockychrysler) October 3, 2022
Of course, this guy earned his "old man yells at cloud" award.
Never has a GIF more naturally come to my mind… pic.twitter.com/sCahQ6IMtj
— Jay Jackson 🇺🇸 (@jaycjackson) October 3, 2022
We have a winner.
I raised 5 respectful sons and this was never an issue. Kids already know you’re an adult if you’re doing your job.
— THEE Sigmundine (@Sigmundine2) October 3, 2022
To Rosemond’s credit, he begins the post with full knowledge of the criticism he’s going to receive. “I’m talking about adults high-fiving children, and yes, I am about to reveal that I am the Grinch, or so it would seem,” he wrote.
It’s pretty easy to pile on Rosemond for his antiquated views of how we should interact with children. It’s pretty clear that he has a conflated view of what a high-five between two people means. It’s a fun way to give someone simple praise, no more, no less.
It seems that Rosemond missed the mark on finding a way to get to a point that is correct about the parent-child relationship: “Boundaries in relationships are essential to their proper functioning,” he writes.
Then he lays out some commonsense parenting advice.
“Children should not call their parents (or any other adults) by their first names,” he writes. “They should not sleep with their parents. They should not have free access to their parents’ money (yes, I am saying children should not have credit cards). They should not be allowed to view certain movies their parents view.”
Rosemond writes that a high-five isn’t “compatible with respect.” But he should also know that refusing to dole out simple praise may not make one worthy of respect in the first place.
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There's a reason why some people can perfectly copy accents, and others can't
Turns out, there's a neurodivergent link.
A woman in black long sleeve shirt stands in front of mirror.
Have you ever had that friend who goes on vacation for four days to London and comes back with a full-on Queen's English posh accent? "Oooh I left my brolly in the loo," they say, and you respond, "But you're from Colorado!" Well, there are reasons they (and many of us) do that, and usually it's on a pretty subconscious level.
It's called "accent mirroring," and it's actually quite common with people who are neurodivergent, particularly those with ADHD (Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder). According Neurolaunch, the self-described "Free Mental Health Library," "Accent mirroring, also known as accent adaptation or phonetic convergence, is the tendency to unconsciously adopt the accent or speech patterns of those around us. This linguistic chameleon effect is not unique to individuals with ADHD, but it appears to be more pronounced and frequent in this population."
Essentially, when people have conversations, we're constantly "scanning" for information—not just the words we're absorbing, but the inflection and tone. "When we hear an accent, our brains automatically analyze and categorize the phonetic features, prosody, and intonation patterns," writes Neurolaunch. For most, this does result in copying the accent of the person with whom we're speaking. But those with ADHD might be more sensitive to auditory cues. This, "coupled with a reduced ability to filter out or inhibit the impulse to mimic…could potentially explain the increased tendency for accent mirroring."
While the article explains further research is needed, they distinctly state that, "Accent mirroring in individuals with ADHD often manifests as an unconscious mimicry of accents in social situations. This can range from subtle shifts in pronunciation to more noticeable changes in intonation and speech rhythm. For example, a person with ADHD might find themselves unconsciously adopting a Southern drawl when conversing with someone from Texas, even if they’ve never lived in the South themselves."
People are having their say online. On the subreddit r/ADHDWomen, a thread began: "Taking on accents is an ADHD thing?" The OP shares, "My whole life, I've picked up accents. I, myself, never noticed, but everyone around me would be like, 'Why are you talking like that??' It could be after I watched a show or movie with an accent or after I've traveled somewhere with a different accent than my 'normal.'
They continue, "Apparently, I pick it up fast, but it fades out slowly. Today... I'm scrolling Instagram, I watch a reel from a comedian couple (Darcy and Jeremy. IYKYK) about how Darcy (ADHD) picks up accents everywhere they go. It's called ADHD Mirroring??? And it's another way of masking."
(The OP is referring to Darcy Michaels and his husband Jeremy Baer, who are both touring comedians based in Canada.)
Hundreds of people on the Reddit thread alone seem to relate. One comments, "Omfg I've done this my whole life; I'll even pick up on the pauses/spaces when I'm talking to someone who is ESL—but English is my first language lol."
Sometimes, it can be a real issue for those around the chameleon. "I accidentally mimicked a waitress's weird laugh one time. As soon as she was out of earshot, my family started to reprimand me, but I was already like 'oh my god I don’t know why I did that, I feel so bad.'"
Many commenters on TikTok were shocked to find out this can be a sign of ADHD. One jokes, "Omg, yes, at a store the cashier was talking to me and she was French. She's like 'Oh are you French too? No, I'm not lol. I'm very east coast Canada."
And some people just embrace it and make it work for them. "I mirror their words or phrase! I’m 30. I realized I start calling everyone sweetie cause my manager does & I work at coffee shop."