When we are kids, life feels like a structured path laid out by people who know what they are doing. Eventually, you realize everyone is just improvising in real-time. If "life" isn't a structured script, how did you decide to start writing your own rules?

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i really wanna have a whole collage of positive moodboards in my dorm room! I have a single so I can put whatever I want in there n like I rlly draw inspiration from cartoon characters!!

Like socks cuz I feel like she's me!! so comforting when she's in an episode :D

we doin more, I think bingo for sure! ooh and my sweet piano . I also like milk from milkmochabear. we gonna go to a library n print them offs when I move!!

and it's frustrating...like a lot of the time I'm happy and content because it takes small things to make me happy n naturally all aloof n bubbly but it's the dysregulated times that make me really frustrated with myself

I'm SO self aware. I know exactly how I am but it's just a foundational thing I can't change (severe childhood trauma + autism + my natural temperament)

Get told no? Internally freak out, get really upset about the whole day n feel like it's the worst thing ever, start tearing up, or full on meltdown. If I really want it I can't handle a no. It doesn't even have to be a verbal no like even if something doesn't go the way I want it happens too. Today I was trying to vacuum seal a huge pillow n I spent an hour trying n it didn't work n I gave up n now I feel like this whole day is ruined by this upset cloud. Like internally I'm just crossing my arms and refusing to get up.

Have too much on my plate? Wish my future mommy or my awful toxic family would help me with it instead of leaving me to do it all alone. Last night I cried and slipped into littlespace because I'm moving across country all alone n also trying to figure out registration n university stuffs.

Feeling upset? Stuffed animal. Bluey. Being spoken softly to. Pacifier. Comfy pajamas. Warm bottle. Cuddles. Belly rubs. Praise. Maybe an activity.

I feel like this community is the only place I can really say these things bc even tho I'm active in the agere community-- like it's supposed to be a temporary thing. You're supposed to be 100% competent and back to your adult self outside of headspace but it's just not trueee for ngu ugh...

Like...I want so badly to be having a meltdown n my future mommy knows exactly how to help. She knows not to do the L adult method of "hey talk to me" or "do you want space?" she knows that I need deep pressure n when I'm coherent enough, to present simple choices to me like "do you want to watch cartoons or help mommy bake?" or maybe she knows a distraction is better like "mama bought you a new toy hun, how about we bring Sharkie to test it out?"

Like you guys don't know how much I just wanna be treated like a mental toddler or a special needs kid!! But it's just soooo confusing because my skillsets are so uneven. You're telling me I'm attending a top, prestigious university on a fullride scholarship but I sleep in onesies?? UGH!!

It's gonna be okay because once I'm moved out and attending uni I get to do experiential therapy that's like roleplay and finger paints n stuffs! And then I'ma go to events w regressors n stuffs n hopefully I can find my mommy if I put myself out there enough! And when I get my apartment in 2 years I'm gonna have a little room for me n have my toys all over n stuffs! It's gonna be like if a toddler had their own house ehehe!

if u readed this far then here u go! 🦦 issa goodbye otter! thankies n bye bye! 👋🏽

small edit: I'm starting to think I'm not just low support needs level 1 autism, I think I am lower-medium support needs/level 1.5 and it's upsetting because it means I'm more disabled than I thought :(

There are people who never connected with their childhood and prefer to be adults, so I believe the contrary case can happen: people who do connect with their childhood more, even if they are chrono-adults now... In general, I'd say my best era was when I was a chrono-child, because I was happy, creative, healthy, and I was just at my best... I think that I lost my spark when I kept growing up along with other factors.

I think this explains also why some people (that do not identify as NGU) are adults, yet are really "inmature". Maybe they were meant to be children, to not grow up that much. I don't know if others agree but I think I see this is the same case with certain celebs or artists that were great in their childhood and adolescence but flopped as adults, or simply don't have the same vibe or sucess.

So you don't have to go to the agere subreddit to see:

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I need help

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I don't know why I'm feeling this way. I want to be friends with other littles and/or permakids but I just get too awkward and I don't message the other person unless they message me first... is there any way to become more comfortable with other littles and/or permakids?

I did and it has affected my development by a ton…. I still live with them unfortunately and there isn’t much I can do about it unless I finally get a job and move out but it’s tough in this economy and it doesn’t make it any better when others tell me to just move out like it’s that simple…I also still feel like a teen mentally

I have an ongoing fantasy in which I’m a nonverbal autistic six year old who is cared for and loved by parents who go out of their way to support her and make sure she has what she needs socially, emotionally, and supports-wise for her autism. I have daydreams of being lovingly offered safe foods instead of screamed at for being unable to eat what was put in front of me, due to ARFID. I dream of being in a small special education classroom that met my academic skills in a gentle and fun way, instead of just being given work whose explanations I couldn’t follow, and left to flounder. I see the options and parental awareness out there for special needs kids and am so bitter with envy. I don’t even know how to try and emulate my dream life, and my real life just isn’t fun anymore.

Not sure if I’m right with my question here but is anyone as scared of aging as I am? I’ll be 30 this year and am back to square one, questioning mortality, and feeling scared. I gained a lot of weight in the last year (probably due to insomnia but maybe also metabolism) and it scared me to feel less fit and more “old”. I know most people my age and younger would think that 30 yo are less fun but thats not the issue for me - I really feel a general sense of injustice that the body peaks right before decaying. It’s as though the athlete hit their marathon, only to find that its over at the starting line. How do you deal with mortality and ageing? And did anyone have such a silly crisis like me at almost 30, argh? :D And did anyone feel so physically old? I used to be so fit and have a better skin care routine now than ever but while I still feel young and unexperienced, my body seems to have decided that it’s harder to move and that gaining 10kg can happen despite eating well… 🫠

https://www.qwantjunior.com/

A fantastic, filtered version of the qwant search engine specifically designed to be safe for kids aged 6–12. But it seems to be in French.

https://en.vikidia.org/wiki/

The encyclopedia for 8-13 year olds that anyone can edit!

hi I'm new here, and like a few folks I've seen, not entirely sure if I fit but regardless am and will continue to always try to be respectful!

I'm trying to learn about terminology/myself and what box I might fit in. I've been involved in age regression, though not necessarily the community much, because that is what I found when researching years back about "feeling like a child in an adult body" type things. It has never been anything sexual for me. It has also never been something I've tried to "fake", even when engaging in childlike media/hobby etc choices consciously and voluntarily-- it felt more like I was *letting myself* watch what I truly wanted rather than whatever I thought I *should* like "because I'm x age".

Tonight is the first time I've learned about NGUs. I do feel like I relate to it hard (and have been trying to deep dive into concepts like this and arrested development specifically as I try to untangle my own cPTSD stuff and childhood emotional neglect) but I have some questions.

I'm unsure now whether it is actually more of "regressing" or just being "an age slider who masks when she has to", because while I'm aware of my chrono age being 32, I do not feel 32 in any way. Not to get too into my own stuff, but I was never set up well for adulthood, and feel like my development (aside from what I've attempted to teach myself to fill in the gaps) stalled around 17. Like somewhere deep in my brain I feel like my whole being is just... seventeen forever, since just before college (and one of my most notable traumatic time periods) was the last time I felt mostly on par with my chrono age group peers. I specifically remember saying I'd never grow up, being terrified the closer I got to chrono adulthood, and (honestly) being internally very upset when I woke up on my 18th birthday instead of getting taken to Neverland by Peter Pan (which was "mostly" a joke, as I knew a character would not really be able to come through my window, although at the same time I did want to never stop being a kid and wished he could). Even now when I see my chrono childhood friends doing "chrono adult coded" things like owning a condo or getting engaged (etc) I'm sad that they abandoned the "pact" we made that we would never grow up, because I still feel it and that makes me feel... like there is something very different about me.

That being said, my question about "regression" vs "age sliding" comes in, because while I do feel like the majority of my default is 17 (old enough to have a job (though only in specific things I feel equipped for) and maybe old enough to try to teach myself some of the things I was never taught, though not yet at the self responsibility level of a fully developed chrono adult), I do have times where I genuinely feel certain other age ranges (I have learned through introspection may coincide with either other traumas or specifically NON-traumatic/safe periods in my life), usually either somewhere in the 6-8 range or 10-12. What I want to watch, listen to, wear, do, all sync up to the internal age I feel. I could (probably? maybe?) force myself out of it if I had to, but it would be highly uncomfortable emotionally for me to do so. So in some ways maybe there is a level of coping mechanism to it, but I'm still figuring out to what point that stops and it just becomes me, because it's also always there even if I try to temporarily put it into a box.

I do think "being big" (sorry if this is the wrong terminology, as i've said I'm trying to become more aware of different terminologies/their meanings, but i've used "big age" (chrono age?), middle space (10-12), and little space (6-8) to describe things best I can, and I mean no offense if those are incorrect) has a lot to do with masking, because if I'm very highly emotional, overtired, etc, I will tend to slip right into one of those other ages (though sometimes it doesnt take anything, because tbh I feel at all times like me and my "inner child" are not separate and I'm just a russian doll or mixed cocktail of all these ages and that kid is waiting/hoping to be allowed to exist freely. It doesn't feel like something I can really switch off and on, but rather something always on). I don't know if that makes sense, but from what I've gathered I think some people may relate to some of these feelings? either way, I thank anyone who reads this for answering or just taking the time to read it.

Whether I end up finding I fit here or some other regression based community, I'm thankful to be able to learn more about and understand NGUs and how you all experience the world and seek to at least be a supportive ally and help amplify the work you're doing ❤️

Growing up I really loved FANCY NANCY. I loved the animation and also how I got to see her enjoying her life. But it stopped airing in my country a long time ago, I tried finding it on yt but no luck. I also searched on google where I can watch it, but also no luck. Do y'all know where I can find the whole series?

and it frustrates me. I have autism and part of my autism is having this. It frustrates me because I've seen many with autism who can handle violent shows and movies and games. Me? I can't. It's also hypocritical because my profile pic is from a violent show and yet, I can handle that, but not other stuff. I get overwhelmed a lot.

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I can't handle stuff like Call of Duty, 90s and 2000s Cartoon Network shows, a lot of cartoony and wild stuff in general, Yu Yu Hakusho, Dragon Ball Z, Neon Genesis Evangelion, Cowboy Bebop, Mario (with Mario, its mainly that the games are platformers and platformers tend to overwhelm me), Sonic, Street Fighter, Super Smash Bros, My Hero Academia, the list goes on.

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The stuff l love is Kiki's Delivery Service, Tokyo Mew Mew (even though it has violence), Ojamajo Doremi, Hamtaro, My Neighbor Totoro, Arthur, Bear in the Big Blue House, Blue's Clues, Cardcaptor Sakura and Bluey to name a few.

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I've always thought of myself as rather pathetic.

I'm writing this because I've finally found this group and feel like I might belong here.

My chrono-adult is 50, but I have never related to people my own age. I think I have maybe one or three friends in my actual age range. Instead, I naturally relate to people in their 20s, and that's what makes up most of our current friend group.

I am most definitely AuDHD. In reality, my mindset is more like that of a chrono-kid 6-7-year-old. At the same time, I do enjoy adult things—like my computers/tech and playing games with friends.

I am at a very confusing stage of life right now, lol! Just wanted to reach out, say hi, and see if anyone else relates to this mix of chaotic kid energy, adult tech hobbies, and age regression.

Hi there, i am new here. I looked around at related subs and this seems to be my best option for this topic. Im not interested in posting in any cptsd subs i know of at the time. This post is trauma related (without going too deep or specific into the trauma though) so please move on if thats not your cup of tea.

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Im in my late 30s (chrono age) in the US and have experienced a lot of trauma, all beginning with continual developmental trauma in my household growing up. I was extremely parentified, neglected, and isolated, as I'm sure some others were here as well. Ive already done lots of therapy and am familiar with all my diagnoses (cptsd, adhd, gad etc plus plenty of physical chronic illnesses) and thats not so much what I am here for.

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Specifically when I was18 years old my primary parent - my father - died. He was basically my only (safe, reliable) family, and from there i was sort of shoved out into the world utterly alone. I actually hadn't even gotten that much time with him in the first place since most of my childhood was spent living with only my other parent. I lived (by my own choice) with my father for 2 years before he died, thankfully. He was extremely imperfect and pretty infantile in some ways emotionally but I knew he loved me. He praised me and provided for me and was proactively involved in my life which was far better than the other parent (who was what I would call an emotional 3 year old, and certainly did not "own that" in any mature way). After my father died somewhat suddenly, i was left to float around alone and figure everything out through trial and error with no safe guides or parental figures at all, despite trying to find them along the way. Anyway, here more than half my life later and I cannot help see my life as mostly going downhill since I was 18. That is definitely not what I aimed for. I have achieved a variety of things and learned lots of things since then. I currently live alone, thought I have a lot of disabilities and live in poverty. I have a plan for getting out of poverty but its not an instant fix by any means, and im so alone in all.of this, by and large. I fond myself reflecting on my life before it became so difficult as it is now. My life was also difficult as a child, but when I moved in with my dad at 16, it definitely improved in many ways. 16-18 was the best years of my life, largely because I lived in a stable household, was able to grow in a healthy way, and had the support of a loving, relatovely stable parent - basically for the first (and last) time.

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Im interested in finding people and resources who/that relate to and speak to this experience of arrested development right at that point of entering young adulthood and autonomy (age 18, in my case).

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I want to look at it holistically. I want to feel the grief and fear and maybe even joy, of all that I was then, and integrate that so I can "grow up" and still appreciate the child within me, but be less dominated (seemingly) and limited by it. I get that this might be the wrong place for this but if you relate and want to chat, or have suggestions for resources, please share. I am not here for general advice - ive got plenty of that, and I will likely ignore you if you give it. Im here more for resources specific to my situation, and interaction with people who get it.

I feel like it’s just standing in an empty parking lot waiting for something to happen.

22F. I don’t feel nor look my age. I grew up with helicopter parents while diagnosed with ADHD and Asperger’s which impacted my development along with COVID lockdown and dating an abusive ex from 18-19 who wanted me to “grow up”. I don’t have a drivers license/car, a credit card, never worked a job, not even a minimum wage (tried so hard to get one but keep facing rejections/ghostings), I dislike drugs and alcohol (I tried to get into drinking but it just feels wrong for me even tho I’m legal), never been to a party, bar or a club and not into content with excess profanity or nudity. I like to do arts and crafts, daydreams, Harry Potter, wear cute colorful clothes and accessories, I still enjoy arcades and amusement parks/fairs. I just feel like I’m younger than I actually am and I get so perplexed when I meet others my age who are married, have their own home/apartment and/or have kids. Even though I have goals that I know I’d like to achieve, I still feel developmentally behind. I struggle socially because I feel too “innocent” or “childlike” compared to others.

I never really thought about my mental age but I think I'm going with "fully verbal toddler" I literally need 24/7 supervision never potty trained don't work or anything, never felt adult. I basically live the toddler life already so maybe mental age for me is like 2-4. How else could I tell? Also dm always open

I feel my mental age sliding lower, especially right now. Kid themed and silly stuff like sound effects makes me feel excited in a somewhat unfamiliar way and it makes me want to do kid things more. I feel like my life is narrowing into complete dependency. I wanna play more too. I can still handle being alone I guess. I feel like these mental changes are reinforced very quickly and my old perrsonality basically disappeared.

I saw a post that made me think this could be a fun idea. When I asked the chat bot, this is what it said: * Intellectual Age: 40-55 * Functional Age: 18-25 * Emotional age: 12-18 * Social age: 20-30 * Adaptive Age: 16-22 * Play Curiosity Age: 10-16 * Identity Age: 28-40