One of my sons is 23 and been on his own since leaving for college. When he got his first job in his career, the company wasn't expected to babysit him and teach him how to be an adult. He was expected to be and act like an adult why performing his job.
I don't see that things should be any different for Williams simply because his career is basketball. Williams, like my son, has a career and should act accordingly. Be mature. Be early to work. Dedicate yourself to your profession. Be held accountable for you actions.
The first few days of problems in Robert Williams career lies squarely at the feet of Robert Williams. Not the Celtics.
Are adults sometimes late to work, make mistakes on the job? Etc... guess what being an adult takes practice. Some people spend a lifetime doing it. Just because your of a certain age doesn’t mean that the adult genie suddenly grants you special adult powers. It’s a combo of experiences, environment, and biology. Step down from your high horse.
i disagree with this, Williams should be held responsible, while i have hope for the kid but being prepared and being responsible, and being on time isn't taught as an adult but when you were kids. While I don't think this is as big of an issue as the media portrays it but we should't blame the team for him missing a flight and practice.
What exactly does that mean, though "be held responsible"? Some commenters seem to think he should be tarred and feathered.
Look, I'm not meaning to pick on your post in particular, but there are some misconceptions and some pretty harsh attitudes being expressed on this thread.
Let's start with being on time. You assert that being on time " isn't taught as an adult but when you were kids". But reality just isn't that simple.
Being on time is governed by your executive function faculties. For those who aren't familiar with it, your executive function is your set of mental attributes that help you 'get things done'. The ability to handle logistical tasks involving order, priority and time. This is physiological. It is controlled by the frontal lobe.
Executive Function Disorder is a very, very common aspect (one of a broad spectrum of symptoms) of various disorders such as ADD, ADHD, Asberger Syndrome, Anxiety, etc.
Executive Function Disorder can make it very difficult for otherwise highly functioning individuals 'stay on top of' things, like starting one's homework, remembering a meeting, doing tasks in proper order, etc. And yes, keeping track of time.
I have a beloved loved one who struggles with EFD and even though he is an extremely high academic achiever (test scores through the roof, all As this last year), it is a constant, constant struggle for him to get his schoolwork done, to remember to get things done, to not waste tons of precious time sucked into video games, etc. Heck, even needs to be reminded to brush his teeth. He literally, and very simply, just needs someone to remind him what he should be doing at any point and he's fine. Brilliant in fact.
I don't know if Robert Williams suffers from EFD. But I do know it is extremely common and both these two incidents fit right in the wheelhouse of it.
It isn't a matter of 'bad character' or needing to be 'taught' responsibility. If you ask someone with EFD about the importance of a schedule they totally understand. If you ask them what the right priority of a set of things should be, they can tell you. But that knowledge doesn't always translate into execution. Because EFD lets other things get in the way. Distractions pull at one's attention, push the schedule off to the side. Also, EFD can cause you to overlook details. Failure to note some details while vividly remembering others is common.
As a common symptom of ADHD, EFD is often helped by some medications. Not always.
Fortunately, a lot of these sorts of cognitive disfunction issues, being physiological, often get better on their own as the brain finally finishes development, usually around one's mid-20s. Basically you can think of the brain as made of many parts, not all of which develop at the same rate for all kids. It's not uncommon for ADHD kids to have some parts of their brain racing way ahead of their peers while other parts lag. And it's also not uncommon for them to finally catch up with themselves in their mid-20s.
A 20 year old kid is not a finished adult. Not even close. The human brain doesn't finish growing until you are around 25 or so.
I guess I just wish folks would stop tossing out absolute moral judgements as if the poor kid got caught doing something objectively bad like stealing or beating up small kids or whatever. Kids with EFD are not 'bad'. They have a disability, no different than another kid missing an ear or hand. Or bad eyesight. The vast majority of the time all that is needed is correct accommodation and the kid can do everything needed or expected.
More than likely all he will need for a while is for an aide or handler to help him stay on his new routines, to not forget his next task or responsibility. This will probably have zero affect on the basketball court.
Topic: Robert Williams (Merged Threads) (Read 313618 times)