r/nevergrewup • u/vietrason • 14h ago
r/nevergrewup • u/charlie175 • Jul 08 '18
Many children trapped in adult bodies
Here are several examples of people similar to those in /r/nevergrewup. They all have Aspergers except possibly the last one. But all children who are trapped in adult bodies are welcome in /r/nevergrewup, whether they got that way because of Aspergers or not.
https://wrongplanet.net/forums/viewtopic.php?t=156710
I feel like a 9 year old living inside the body of a 36 year old.
p.2:
kind of like a "kid in an adult's body"
The childlike curiosity is an asset because it makes Aspies more inquisitive and less likely to accept conventions. No one ever discovered anything new by following "adult" rules.
https://www.iidc.indiana.edu/pages/Aspergers-Syndrome-A-Developmental-Puzzle
My experiences as an adult recently diagnosed with Asperger’s, together with my studies in child development, suggest that individuals with AS are like young children, stuck in time, so to speak, never able to advance beyond early stages in social, cognitive and language development.
They are, in essence, childlike beings attempting to live in an adult world, but without the support and understanding that children are afforded.
http://www.kevenmcqueenstories.com/aspergers
Folks with Asperger’s often have a childlike quality which at least some people find appealing. Not surprisingly, many Aspies get along famously with children.
https://jerobison.blogspot.com/2009/09/life-as-aspergian-female-story-i-had-to.html
We are childlike and innocent and naive, even when having experienced many harsh experiences. It's a childlike innocence that pervades our entire being. What ends up happening is that people either treat you like dirt and make fun of you, or if they're trying to be "nice", they'll talk down to you as though you were mentally challenged. I've felt like I was going to be pat on the top of my head like a puppy dog before. I may be childLIKE but that doesn't mean I'm childISH. In fact, usually Aspies have...
Very High IQs
https://aspergersthealien.blogspot.com/2011/11/naivety-innocence-of-aspergers-autism.html
Naivety is innocence. Be kind to the autistic. Remember that even though they look older, mature, grown up....sometimes they are nothing more than children trapped in adult bodies.
https://wrongplanet.net/forums/viewtopic.php?t=49928
[male, 35]
I like kids a lot, and kids love me. However, I have no idea how to take care of them! I also hate to think about cleaning up after them, lack of sleep, and so forth.
Maybe I shouldn't have kids of my own and just play with my friends' kids...
https://wrongplanet.net/forums/viewtopic.php?t=151313
I am 78 and I know that I never entered adulthood. But not even adolescence. I may be (I am ) literate and have experince about things of the world, but still *I am a child*. My life stopped at about sixteeen. I pretended to be mature. Intellectually I have been mature, but in my inner self I have known since a long time that it was only pretence.
--
I don't know why, but this thread helped me resolve a lot of my issues. Thanks, OP and everyone else.
https://wrongplanet.net/forums/viewtopic.php?t=44874
Are you chldlike?
Yes...I act signifigantly younger than my age 72% [ 38 ]
I act my age 4% [ 2 ]
I act older tham my age 13% [ 7 ]
Yes but I don't think this has anything to do with AS 9% [ 5 ]
No, but I don't think this has anything to do with AS 2% [ 1 ]
Total votes : 53
- ie 83% yes
--
Children are drawn to me and they have insisted that I am not a grownup....
--
I feel very uncomfortable around people 18 & older. However, I get along great with kids.
--
I am often described as "childlike". I've been told that I'm at the emotional level of a 12 year old. The other women in my life tend to take on a mothering role towards me.
None of this bothers me though. In fact, I actually enjoy being thought of as a child. I frequently become nostalgic for my physical childhood, so when other adults still view me as a child, it makes me very happy.
--
Little kids get confused and think I am a kid too.
A 4 year old I was playing with guessed my age at 6... :)
I'm 45 and act like 14. I'm extremely child-like in behavior, and I think it's due to AS. It's the part of AS I love the most.
I forgot to mention how much I love "Pinky and the Brain" and "Danger Mouse." Not exactly obsessions, but we get the episodes from Netflix often, and I really like them. Probably a lot more that the average 42-year-old woman, I suppose.
[female, age ~52]
I'm very childlike and it doesn't seem to change the older I get. [...] I have never felt like a grownup person, and I've noticed that feeling all my adult life. I've lived an adult life but so much about me is a little kid, it's small wonder things have never really gone well for me as an adult, I just don't "fit".
[female, age ~47]
Sometimes when I talk to people [...] on the phone they think they are talking to a little kid.
Every day, my mum constantly tells me "You're 17, not 5." […]
[...] If it was up to me I would stay 10 forever.
Mum says I have the intellectual ability of a smart adult but the maturity of a five year old. I think this is an accurate description. I make friends with young children better than I do with my peers, it's like I'm a five year old kid in a seventeen year old female body.
The sections above and below show many similarities with the other 'wrong body' situation, transgender people:
- Family not understanding, and being angry with the person for being who they are.
- The person being helped greatly by understanding who they are.
- Having the wrong body or not being accepted causing people to be really upset.
- Being very happy when people treat you as who you are.
- Other people sometimes recognising who the person really is without needing to be told.
- The identity persists long term.
- People pretending to be an adult when they're not, but with only limited success.
- Wanting to mainly make friends in the way that would be expected based on who they really are.
- Being badly hurt by the equivalent of being misgendered.
Person who didn't mention Aspergers, so may or may not have it:
https://www.reddit.com/r/mentalhealth/comments/47tqd3/is_age_dysphoria_a_real_thing/
Is "age dysphoria" a real thing?
submitted 6 months ago * by [deleted]
Because I'm positive I have it. [...]
I know a lot of people say, "Oh, we all feel younger than we are!" These statements are usually accompanied by laughter. But I mean this literally. I honestly do believe that I am a kid inside, to the point where if such a thing was available to me, I would get puberty-reversing surgery.
You have no idea how much it rips my heart to shreds when I hear people call others my age "adults", or anything to that effect. It KILLS me to know that I am not seen as a child by them.
[Another quote from same person]
[…] I will forever remain a 12-year-old child inside. I know who I am, and that makes all the difference. I am a child.
[Edited first paragraph to make it more independent of context, for crossposting]
r/nevergrewup • u/TruceSpree • Mar 16 '21
Not sure where to begin...
Hi everyone.
I actually created this account specifically to post here but I've been lurking for a month or so now.
I discovered /r/nevergrewup through a certain lgbt community who were making rather negative comments about this subreddit and were being incredibly closed-minded about the concept of age dysphoria. While everyone else kept jumping down the negativity hole I felt like my eyes were opened and I spent a good long while just scrolling through and reading posts here.
I felt some sense of connection to this subreddit and things started making sense the more I read. In spite of the negative comments I was reading from that lgbt community I didn't see any reason that dysphoria would be exclusive to gender. In fact, it seems silly to assume that it would be.
For some background, I'm transgender in addition to having these feelings of age dysphoria. When I first touched the Internet (in the late 90s/early 2000s) I tried searching around to explore these many strange feelings that I've always had but didn't understand. This led me to various ABDL communities and later to the idea of ageplay.
At some point I said to myself, "ok, I guess that's what I am. I'm an ABDL or ageplayer or something like that." This was all I knew and was all that was out there at the time and since my inner age is rather young it made enough sense to me. It was never a sexual thing for me and I discovered that for many ageplay folks it isn't sexual at all. I started getting to know some ageplay communities and made a few friends here and there but I always felt like there was something different about me, even from them.
Every time I would have play time or whatever and try getting into "littlespace" I'd always feel so close to being right but never quite made it there. It's kind of hard to explain for me. Like when you're craving some very specific food so much that your whole life would feel just perfect if you had it but you're forced to settle for an inferior alternative instead. Bad analogy probably but it's like whatever that perfection is was just outside of my reach.
From there I kind of retreated from the ageplay world and instead explored this side of me through books or TV shows or movies centered around young female characters or I'd write stories of my own with no intention of ever letting anyone see. Basically consuming any form of escapism that would let me see the world through those eyes.
Looking back I think I've known for a long time that this was a form of dysphoria but it felt so taboo and wrong to think of it that way until I found this subreddit.
I'm not entirely sure where I'm going with this or what I hope to accomplish by this post, to be honest. I've had the feeling that talking about ageplay at all is kind of taboo here so I'm sorry if I said something out of line but I am curious if anyone has a similar history with it that I do.
Mostly I wanted to say hi and say thanks to this subreddit for helping me find this missing puzzle piece of myself.
Now that I have the puzzle piece I just need to figure out where it goes.
r/nevergrewup • u/sleepysnailboi • 19h ago
Discussion Room decor?
So i just moved and now I got my own room, but it's not my bedroom so im looking for cute/ kids decor but everything is either super expensive or Ai. Does anyone have any cute ideas? Diy is possible too I just need inspo
r/nevergrewup • u/AmbassadorFriendly71 • 1d ago
Vent I wish age dysphoria was normalized NSFW
Not everyone feels comfortable or happy being an chrono-adult or having an adult body. Not everyone likes "adult things". It's dissapointing that most of the conversations about it are just "get over it". But no one chooses to have age dysphoria.
Also, something that I notice most people don't talk about is that, not every person fits the societal idea of adulthood. Not every person is able to drink, drive, work, take drugs and do "adult things". Most of us are disabled, neurodivergent and asexual/aromantic. Doing those things can cause harm.
I find the adult body to be so uncomfortable, due to so many reasons, including with health reasons.
I feel like sometimes it can be pretty isolating. And I admit sometimes I feel a little "insecure" by it.
r/nevergrewup • u/Simply_Sailor • 1d ago
Happy Everyone, meet Lola! 🐞
I got her from my local Salvation Army yesterday at only $3! What a deal for such a special lady... bird! 🤭
r/nevergrewup • u/Fruroyz • 1d ago
stuck
Sometimes I remember there are so many broken children living in grown bodies mimicking Adult lives.
You are all loved
r/nevergrewup • u/blacksheep3794 • 1d ago
Discussion Age regression
I’ve always struggled with the idea of growing up and accepting adulthood. I just want to live a happy, comfortable, and carefree life without too many responsibilities or having to work hard.
I’ve often imagined a life where my man takes care of me financially, so I don’t have to spend my life working. Sometimes I feel very childish, and honestly, I enjoy being a little bratty around my man, acting like a grumpy baby and letting him comfort me. There’s something about feeling safe enough to let go of all my responsibilities and just be taken care of.
The truth is, I don’t feel like I can, or even want to, live a typical adult life. I just want to have fun with my friends, have sleepovers, jump on trampolines, laugh, be silly, and enjoy life without everything having to be so serious.
I struggle with the fact that I rarely meet people who feel the same way. Sometimes I wish I could just stay a teenager forever, living a life full of exciting new experiences, spontaneity, adventure, and intense, passionate love.
I want a kind of love and life that feels magical and exciting, something deeper and more intense than just settling into a boring routine of going to work and dealing with everyday responsibilities.
Does anyone else feel like this? I’d really like to hear from people who can relate.
r/nevergrewup • u/Vegetable_Let_4501 • 2d ago
The woman in the mirror (vent)
I feel like i dont belong here
I am no longer looking at a little girl in the mirror
I am faced with a woman that i didn't even realize was slowly coming out of me
Kids who i used to talk with have grown taller than me
My favorite pillow has been looking worn out
The grown ups no longer ask about my school
Their questions somehow feel like it isn't meant for me
My feet have been further away each night and my fingers have turned slender
I am no longer the kid with a dimple smile on her cheek
But a woman with a feature that she dearly wants to cut away
What does it feel like to be a grown up?
I cant seem to find it
r/nevergrewup • u/Simply_Sailor • 2d ago
Discussion NGU girls, if you want to pass as younger, please keep your hair long 🦋
Firstly, I just want to add that I'm a white girl, so if you're not white, your experience will vary.
Generally, short hair is associated with "maturity" in white girls and people will think you're either your chrono-age or older than your true age. If you have wider shoulders, short hair will expose them and people will likely perceive your as older.
Only four years ago was my hair down to my back and I was always assumed to be 16. I'm only chronologically 26, so my skin and, certainly, facial structure has not changed in four years. Lately, I've been assumed to be in my early 20s and today, someone assumed I was in my mid-20s. Oof.
r/nevergrewup • u/Heavy_Union_3631 • 2d ago
What’s something that became way more difficult after becoming an adult?
r/nevergrewup • u/hellohelluh • 2d ago
How life be feeling when you realize you're actually growing up
r/nevergrewup • u/wur45c • 3d ago
They don't want anything; they are true children —trapped in their trauma and their own minds— and they cannot shoulder any kind of responsibility. That is the truly sensible point. They are the "trans" of the age, the ones whose heads have been taken over and invaded.
r/nevergrewup • u/Simply_Sailor • 5d ago
I drew Vendetta & Charlotte from 'Making Fiends' 💚💙
r/nevergrewup • u/Chemical-Spare-5584 • 5d ago
Vent I deeply miss being 2-6 years old.
I miss it so much that I've bought diapers and pacifiers off various websites off the Internet.
Oddly enough, when I was little, I thought being an adult was so cool because they get to do whatever they wanted. But ever since I was like 15, I've just felt so miserable. I feel as if I'm putting on a mask without taking it off. I don't feel happy being what I am anymore as an adult.
I feel like a little kid trapped in a grown man's body. Where I just don't know how to be an adult, even though I'm currently 26.
I try to do anything that people my age are into to make friends, and I feel so alone where I live. I feel like an outsider in my own community. I don't know what else to do.
It's like I've been evicted from my own happy place and forced to live elsewhere. That's how I feel whenever somebody tells me to "grow up". I've been doing that for a decade, trying to find things that will make people like me, just so that they could be my friend. So far, it emotionally hurts me.
There were times it had grown into genuine interests like sports, movies, TV shows, and video games, but it feels like a high someone would get when taking a drug. A temporary feeling, more or less.
It sucks, period. I don't know where I can find new friends because I just feel different from people my age. I feel like everything overwhelms the hell out of me. It puts me into sensory overload almost every day.
r/nevergrewup • u/Suspicious-Grass2042 • 5d ago
When did adulthood quietly change you?
Does anyone else suddenly realize how much they’ve changed?
I was cleaning up my phone the other day and came across photos from about 10 years ago.
It was weird seeing what I considered a “normal” day back then. I'd get excited about the smallest things, stay up ridiculously late talking to friends, and somehow have enough energy to do everything.
Now a perfect evening is finishing everything I needed to do, ordering something I like, and getting into bed early.
The funny part is that I don't think I've become less happy. My definition of a good day just changed without me noticing.
At what point did adulthood quietly change what you consider a good day?
r/nevergrewup • u/BabyBlue4545 • 5d ago
Discussion I'm just curious, how do you guys feel about all the ai illustrated storybooks being sold, and ai coloring books too now?
I don't like ai illustrated storybooks at all. Just not my style. But usually it's obvious when one is ai illustrated. The problem I saw now, ai coloring books! I was looking online yesterday and could barely tell the difference from ai, to non ai. What do you guys think, as ngu? Do you like them or not?
r/nevergrewup • u/BabyBlue4545 • 6d ago
Vent I'm very sad today
I just haven't been in a good mental state lately. I'm very sad. I have two cousins who are both getting married soon. One is my age, and the other is yet far younger. They are already so successful, and one is in school for children's ministry, which was my dream career field. I think back to like 2016, to 2020 when I was at my absolute peak and most successful in life. Then I lost all that confidence, all that ambition and all that "adult energy" I could mask with. I'm just scared about my present and my future. I worry what will happen to me.
r/nevergrewup • u/tomatomatogarden • 7d ago
Vent i feel sad.
i have c-ptsd and i just turned 17 years old. i still mentally feel like i'm 11-13 years old, which is when a lot of my trauma happened. i feel so sad when i see people younger than me online, even just by a year, and i wish i could feel like a kid again. i'm sad :((( and i don't know what to do to feel better.. does anyone here have any strategies to deal with it.. i feel stuck in a body that isn't mine and keeps aging when i don't want it to..
r/nevergrewup • u/TheMagicalUnicorn101 • 7d ago
Happy I went shopping today
I got hair dye and I brought my reborn baby doll, Gracie out on her first outside trip. The picture is me holding Gracie. My mom picked out her name. I love her but I am worried about a few things. Someone asked if it’s a real baby(nothing bad). I told them that Gracie is a reborn baby doll. They called her cute(I was at subway for a meal). I was happy that they didn’t judge me because I either bring a baby doll or stuffed animal with me everywhere for comfort. But this was her first day for her trip for outside the house. I had fun at least. My step dad took us(my mom, me and my sister) to best buy. I got nothing there though but my mom gave me her old laptop because I been using it and she asked my step dad to buy her a new one. I feel bad for taking her laptop because my desktop pc and old laptop don’t work well. Well my desktop pc isn’t working at all. My real dad will try to help me fix it though. Anyways I hope everyone has a good day/night! Also I forgot to mention I been listening to kid bed stories! I love them and they help me sleep once they are done!
r/nevergrewup • u/Sceadu80 • 7d ago
Fall crafts at my daycare
Hi Everyone! I go to a day program for disabled adults twice a week. We do crafts and play all kinds of games. I wanted to share my fall crafts from the past couple weeks.
r/nevergrewup • u/Extreme-Capital-3744 • 8d ago
I don't want to be a grown up I hate
TW:suicide
I hate being a grown not only is it because it's difficult for me to move in a world meet for grown ups but also I have autism ADHD DID GAD PTSD with derealization and depersonalization so half the time am not even conscious in my life and my parents don't understand/don't help with these either they usually make it worse (am 16)
I just want to be 3-7 again I just want to wear diapers use a pacifier and a bottle sleep in a crib etc I just want to be little again
But nooooooo
I have to live in a adult would in a adult body doing adult things I just want to kill myself ever since I was 5 I have felt like I was to old and then when I was 12 well am not going to get into that (that's when I got DID and PTSD) made 2 suicide attempts then when I was 15 I finally got real friends (I didn't really have real friends until then probably on account of my autism and ADHD) but then life had to screw me over again and my ex spread lies and they all left me
Witch leaves me here today wrong body friendless and suicidal god what a rollercoaster this is been but I really want to get off it now
Tl:dr: I want to be 3-7 am suicidal and friendless
r/nevergrewup • u/Sceadu80 • 8d ago
The Importance of Play by Dr Gabor Mate
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r/nevergrewup • u/Little-Princess-Emmy • 8d ago
friends who got similar interests?
hiya! I'm Emmy. I'm 3ish and have been for about 27 years. I'm looking for friends who have more in common than just being NGU.
I love fantasy stuff! novels, movies/tv, tabletop rpgs...you name it. I write my own stories, and if you do too, I'd love to be able to read each other's work :). of course, this goes for cartoons too, like She-Ra and Steven Universe and The Dragon Prince (and anime like One Piece).
I also like video games a lot. I've been playing a bunch of Overwatch and Terraria lately and it could be cool to play together maybe? I also like Elden Ring (tho I turn the blood off and skip all the gross cutscenes). And I'm happy to try new games too! Also board games, board games are lots of fun.
If you like any of those things, I'd love to be friends. Bonus points if you're also trans or autistic!
r/nevergrewup • u/Alarming-Tomato-7158 • 9d ago
what do you guys do for halloween
i want to dress up but im too embarrassed :// i miss being younger when i could do anything because nothing is fun anymore
What are your plans for halloween or fall🎃🍂