camp camp headcanons

105// max

⚠️tw: mentions of child neglect, childhood depression, etc. please be safe and proceed with caution. if any of these are triggering to you, feel free to skip. my next chapters will be much more light-hearted and cute

¡none of this is supposed to be funny. this shit happens to actual kids. don't be a douche, please!
i have researched the effects of specific types of child abuse, for children in the current situations and for when they're older. these are all very real and many people suffer from childhood trauma into adulthood
now for some of my headcanons of max's homelife and how it affects him

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max's homelife is physically, medically, supervisory, and emotionally neglectful as well as sometimes mentally/psychologically manipulative, leading to him having depression at a young age.

max grows up in a home of neglect. his parents are often gone, leaving max alone for days on end. max has to care for himself, and is a parent to himself. he learned how to bathe by himself at two, and learned how to use a washing machine, stove, microwave, oven, and dishwasher at six.

often he goes hungry, as his parents are never home to see that they need groceries. when they do come back, they usually had already eaten, so it doesn't matter to them.

max has no rules to follow, resulting in many school day absences, staying up late, and roaming the streets alone in the dark.

he's never dressed properly for the weather, only wearing his hoodie in the winter, resulting in him getting frostbite several times. injuries he sustains are treated by him, so when he was younger he would often get infections in wounds. sicknesses are dealt with alone, and he gets flus often because his parents don't take him to get vaccinations. he stitched up his own hand when he cut it open and his broken arm healed wrong in max's make-shift cast. he has many unfilled cavities and hair is always matted, as nobody enforces shampooing or brushing his hair in the household.

his parents do not come to any school events, pack lunches, sign homework sheets, or teach him basic things like swimming or riding a bike. they've never hugged him as far as max can recall and they sure as hell don't comfort him when he's sad.

he is pretty much ignored in the house, only being noticed when he talks back. this results in arguements, door slamming, throwing things, or kicking him out of the house when they don't want to deal with him anymore. they never physically abused him, but they sure as hell are neglectful.

***

because of this neglect, max is withdrawn and angry. he lashes out at the other campers and counselors as a result of lacking social skills because of his parents absences.

he's often tired and lethargic, and always carries bags under his eyes from his messed up sleep schedule. when he came to camp campbell, and they enforced a regular sleeping pattern, max developed insomnia. he constantly tosses and turns at night, unable to fall asleep as his body was used to sleeping whenever it pleased.

as a replacement of his parents, his teddy bear has taken the role as a comforter for him. it was his only friend for quite a while, as he didn't make many friends at school because of his snappy nature. he did enjoy getting a rise out of his teacher, and making his classmates laugh at his pranks, though.

the neglect also caused him to be distrustful of adults, and have a low self esteem. because of his parents lack of love and affection, he doesn't believe the counselors can love him and when he doesn't understand why david and gwen care, he lashes out. it's the only thing he knows how to do.