ELI5: Explain Like I'm 5

Genie (feral child)

A genie is a nickname given to a special type of child called a feral child. Feral children are kids who have grown up without someone taking care of them, like their parents or other family members. This means they haven't learned how to talk or behave like other kids their age because they haven't had anyone to teach them.

The genie's story is about a girl who lived in a house with her dad and mom, but her dad didn't want her to speak or move around a lot. So she stayed in a room by herself, where she wasn't able to learn all the things that other kids learned. When she was about 13 years old, someone finally found her and took her to live with other people who tried to help her learn and become more like a regular kid.

But because she missed out on so much when she was younger, it was hard for her to catch up with everyone else. It's kind of like if you were a baby and all you did was sit in your crib all day, every day. As you grew up, you would find it challenging to do things like walking, talking, or playing because you didn't get the chance to learn those things when you were little.

So, in a nutshell, a genie is a type of feral child who didn't get a chance to learn all the things kids usually learn while growing up. And because of that, they might struggle later in life to do things that most people find easy.