it’s kind of annoying how culturally usa-centric so much of the agere community is. like, a lot of the “nostalgic” imagery used is relatable mostly just to kiddos who grew up in middle class suburban america. it’s great visuals but i always feel like i’m kinda playing catch-up with some of it since i grew up away from my home :(
anyway, here’s some neat childhood imagery from late 2000s & early 2010s germany where i grew up, hopefully some of u recognize it !! i rly encourage other regressors to share stuff from their own cultures too, we gotta work together to make this space as inclusive as we can !! :D not everyone had the same experience, and that can be a good thing ^^
Your emotions are valid and allowed. Your responsibility is to express them in healthy ways.
You aren’t wrong if you feel angry, jealous or insecure.
However, it is wrong if you react to these things by yelling at people, making accusations, or laying guilt on people.
It’s okay to feel these things. It’s even okay to struggle with urges as a result of them. But handling emotions in a healthier way is important for your well-being and for your loved ones.
Here’s tips for dealing with rage.
Here’s tips for jealousy.
Here’s tips for seeking reassurance in a healthy way.
i think in general, it would be nice for the agere community to remember that age regression is primarily associated with abused or traumatized children as both a natural coping mechanism and a reflection of developmental delays
and this is to say that everyone can regress, absolutely, but please have more kindness for regression being difficult for many. for a while now regressors like us have been thrown under terms like impure, vent, trauma, etc. and have been shoved out of tags and sent a message that our regression is secondary to the happy go lucky soft baby regression people want to see
and its fine if thats what you want. just have some compassion in your heart for the kids who are struggling. maybe your inner child is, too. for DID/OSDD littles who only exist because of trauma and often are dealing with a horrific reality.
regression IS difficult, upsetting, traumatizing, dysfunctional. it is also happy, fun, safe, rewarding. all of these things are true of regression and we dont need to separate it semantically. if you dont want to see the kids who are hurting, maybe unpack why that is. and if youre hurting, youre not impure or whatever other term people come up with to section you off with
love yourselves and others in turn, and it'll make for a better community :}
Construction paper is a great tool for art! With a pair of safety scissors and some stick glue, you can make animals, buildings, characters, portraits of people you know, and anything else your imagination can think up! Cut out shapes for the body, face, hair and clothes, then glue them all together piece by piece.
After you're done you can glue them into your agere journal if you have one! Be sure to add the date and sign your work, that way everyone will know who made that beautiful art 💛
Little one, what are you still doing up at this hour? It's past your bedtime now...
Oh, you were trying to finish your show? Okay. No, it's alright baby, but mommy thinks you should save the rest of the episodes for tomorrow. I don't want you to be so tired in the morning that you feel cranky. I promise, you can wake up early to watch the rest, but right now, it's time to lay down.
How about this, can you tell me what your favorite part was while I warm up some milk for you? I would love to hear about what happened in your show. Yeah? Okay, come on precious, let's go grab your sippy.
my cg is very extroverted and likes to go out a lot (im mostly making this for myself hehe). if youre a little who suffers from separation anxiety like i do, or you just have a hard time being alone, i hope this helps ฅ^•ﻌ•^ฅ
age regress- just the act of age regressing can help a lot, or conversely, choosing not to age regress if being big helps you through it better
talk- now is a good time to reach out to other people in your life. if everyone else is busy too, talk to your stuffies!! theyre really great listeners :3
set a timer for 5 minutes- this helps if youre panicking. use five minutes to identify what you feel, and where youre feeling it. then let it happen. set another timer for 5 minutes to try to work out some sort of solution. once the 5 minutes are up, you have to get up and go do something
scream, cry, throw a tantrum- sometimes you gotta. just be safe with it!! and dont make your cg feel guilty for not being with you, that isnt healthy
write it out- journalling about your current fears or even just about your day can help loads. try to physically write it in a notebook if you can.
color!! :3- color a pretty picture for your cg while theyre gone!! theyll really appreciate it and think its sweet ^w^ coloring is also a very calming activity and can be time consuming
weighted blanket- i dont personally use one but i know that they’re really good for anxiety
these are just a couple tips :3c sometimes these come in handy, sometimes what helps will be something completely different (ive been stuck in mario kart loops before). remember to always treat yourself (and your cg ofc) the best that you can!!
For my first time caregivers who are completely lost on how to start caring for their little one 💛
🌼 Research! Read as much as you can about age regression whenever you can. The more you can understand how regression works and what it is, the better you can support your kiddo.
🌼 Read Safe for Work fanfiction on regression. It can give you lots of ideas on how to care for and talk to your kiddo when they're regressed. Ask them if they read works on any specific fandom and try looking it up yourself to get an idea of what they like.
🌼 Read blogs on Tumblr and stories on Wattpad for regression advice too. Lots of information is written by regressors and caregivers themselves.
🌼 Ask lots of questions. Your little one's probably already established how their regression works for them so asking what that looks like can be super helpful to you. (Examples: How small do you feel when you regress? Or What do you like to do when your regressed?)
🌼 Your kiddo may feel a little apprehensive at first so patience and lots of reassurance will do wonders. Remind them that you want to be there and don't rush the process of including this new dynamic in your relationship. It will take time.
🌼 Encourage their regression! As often as you can, do things that encourage their headspace. For instance, asking if they want to color with you or watch a cartoon. The more you encourage their little habits, the more comfortable they'll feel around you.
🌼 Don't talk down to them. There's a balance when it comes to talking to regressors. You want to baby them (unless they ask otherwise), but not in a way that's patronizing.
🌼 Be curious. Ask them simple questions and be interested in what their doing/telling you. Most kiddos love to explain things and feel like they're showing you something cool, so it'll make them very happy to know that you're paying attention to them.
🌼 Try not to be harsh. Most feel like harsh discipline and a firm hand is the best way to handle a regressor, but most kiddos listen better to a gentle reminder than a harsh reprimand. So be patient with them, treat them as though their learning everything for the first time.
🌼 Learn their little habits. Lots of times, kiddos don't want to ask to be babied because they can feel embarrassed or like a burden, so they'll give little hints in hopes you'll notice them that way. And it can be something as small as being a little more clingy, to pouting and whining over something that seems minor.
🌼 Become their guardian. Check in with them often, ask if they ate, help them put their seat belt on and remind them to pick up after themselves, little things like that. Some regressors even love to have a certain set of rules laid out for them to follow (or break).
🌼 Avoid ignoring or verbally wounding your regressor. Sometimes emotions can become much more difficult to process when regressed, so a passing comment or action done in frustration can cause deep wounds to reopen, so try to think twice before acting.
🌼 Don't cross boundaries! Just because you're the caregiver, don't abuse your authority and force them to do anything their uncomfortable with.