What About Growing Up?

[Mean Mommy]

Eeeeeerrrrrgh.....

Okay, I've been thinking about this for a while now. And jeez, oh boy, it's gonna get some of you pissed. I know it. And I like you guys, so I don't intend on hurting anyone's feelings or denying anyone's identity. If it is possible, please recognize that I only want to talk about a concept, a lifestyle, an abstract idea, not the people associated with it.

I still feel conflicted about it and I don't believe in censoring myself, so I'm gonna go ahead and get it out there. It may hurt or offend but discussion is never a bad thing.

I don't think the 24/7 AB lifestyle is healthy.

I've been thinking a lot about it and yeah, it doesn't seem healthy. At first I compared 24/7 ABs to transexuals: believing it's just another case of mistaken identity. I believe that if some dude (or dudette) feels they are trapped in the wrong body, they should do everything in their power to feel comfortable and, well, good. But then it occurred to me that a tranny will nevertheless grow and develop, whether she is a guy or a girl. She will walk through all stages of life, and she will change.

Whereas a 24/7 AB wants to go back in time. How will she change? How will life reach her within the safe haven of her nursery? How will she struggle, how will she overcome? How does a 24/7 AB grow up? And if she doesn't grow up, how does she experience all of life's highs and lows?

I even compared a 24/7 AB with a 24/7 slave (which I also don't think is healthy). But a 24/7 slave is at least exposed to more experiences, more life, because a slave can do more than a baby.

I understand the pleasure of regression. It's nice to return to an age when the world was soft and kind and unconditional love was guaranteed. However, there must be a reason this period ends for everybody. It's only the first act. What about the rest?

Again, I don't want to attack anybody. I just want to understand.

[phogendpf]

Well I don't think anyone can be a fully 24/7 AB. Even someone who says they are, they still have to go thru all stages of life and do the things that normal people have to do (work a job, pay bills etc). I will point you back to the baby ella thing. She is what most would consider a 24/7 AB but she still has a job, etc. She only does it at home. So basically, I don't think there is any such thing as being a real 24/7 AB. If you are somehow and have someone do everything for you (because a baby can't do much) then yes I agree that is pretty unhealthy.

[rusty pins]

Well I don't think anyone can be a fully 24/7 AB. Even someone who says they are, they still have to go thru all stages of life and do the things that normal people have to do (work a job, pay bills etc). I will point you back to the baby ella thing. She is what most would consider a 24/7 AB but she still has a job, etc. She only does it at home. So basically, I don't think there is any such thing as being a real 24/7 AB. If you are somehow and have someone do everything for you (because a baby can't do much) then yes I agree that is pretty unhealthy.

Great points! I am not AB myself but I am DL and have been reading forum posts on several AB/DL sites for years. I do know from reading posts over the years that some people have a lot of stress, weather it be from their job, financial, family or the way they had been treated growing up. Doing the AB or DL stuff is a great way to relieve some of that stress. Some people may be to the point where they just enjoy it so much that they want to do it all the time for fun. Others may be so stressed out or have had somthing so tramatic happen to them that regression into AB is the only way they can cope with life. I have always been an advocate that there has to be a ballence between real life and pretend life in order to be healthy both mentally and physically. It's one thing to be AB on weekends or after work but I just don't believe it is healthy for a person to be AB 24/7 to the point where they don't work, have any responsabilitys, have someone always taking care of them, changing them, feeding them and telling them what to do and when to do it. Now, I haven't come across anyone yet that acts compleatly like a real baby 24/7 no matter what they may say. First, a real baby would not be able to read or write or even speak. That said, how can they make posts on a computer? How can they talk about anything in life? They would just be a babbeling baby who sleeps, plays with baby toys, eats baby food and waits for someone to change their wet and messy diapers. There would be no favorite TV shows, no concerts, movies, driving a car, steak and lobster dinners, hanging out with friends, having a beer, going to basketball or football games, reading newspapers or books, no computers or computer games, no conversations with people, talking on the phone, etc. etc. That said, anyone who says they live life 24/7 as an actual baby is lying. I have no problem with anyone who likes playing baby, but when the desire to be a real baby all the time 24/7 takes over and that is all someone wants, then I really believe it's time for those people to get some professional help. To me that means someone is withdrawing from life, the real world and responsabilities and it may have taken something really stressful or tramatic for that person to get in that mental situation. As I stated, I think it's fine for people to roll play and do the AB thing. It's a great stress reliever and can be fun for lots of people. There just should be a healthy ballence between doing it for fun and enjoyment or wanting to actually regress 24/7 and be totally withdrawn from reality. That's my 2 cents and I know many may strongly disagree, but this is my opinion and I think it's a good one from the view of a healthy mental well being.

[babyboo3]

I agree that it's unlikely anyone is a 24/7 AB.

I only regress at home, and only when i don't have visitors. Though I also don't spend evey minute of home life as an AB.

I don't consider myself a DL. Although I enjoy being in diapers, it's not a daily thing for me and I doubt I would ever leave the house wearing a diaper.

It is generally something that i 'do' in the evenings, at the end of a (sometimes stressful) day. A way to relax, to release my inner child, and forget about adult worries and troubles.

I often fantasise how nice it would be to have a full-time Daddy/Mommy and be a 24/7 AB totally.

But I think that in time this would become frustrating and boring (my opinion only!) as I wouldn't have the independence of adulthood or the chance to progress in my life.

Like any lifestyle, there are pro's and con's. And I believe everything is ok in moderation, but not to be too focused on just one thing.

[PampersPete]

I highly doubt anyone can get offended by your post Mean Mommy. As for living your life as an Adult Baby 24/7,it's possible if you're independently wealthy.

[elaine]

Like you say it would be hard to be a 24/7 baby, but even so I do spend almost all of my time at home wearing nappies, it does'nt matter if Im cooking, cleaning, or any other housework I do try to be as nappy dependant as possible. My husband who is a plumber also does the same whilst at home, a practice that he has done for the last 22 years, although it was not as frequent when our children were at home.

We always try to set a couple of days aside each week where we can hide our car in the garage, unplug the phone draw the curtains and baby each other totally, it is a relaxing time where we have no worries just stress free out of the busy hussle of the 21st century. Of course we still have cooking to do, the cat to feed, and even a bed to make but it is time where we can enjoy our lifestyle and it can only help as stress is no good for anybody. So I don't care if we can't move on or grow up it suits our desires and harms no one. I guess everybody has a right to an opinion, I can't really see where you are coming from on this one, but we have both had our say, I think you would be hard pushed to find someone who is 24/7 adultbaby, so I think your statment is irelavent really. Imay be wrong but thats my opinion.

[enfant]

I understand the pleasure of regression. It's nice to return to an age when the world was soft and kind and unconditional love was guaranteed. However, there must be a reason this period ends for everybody. It's only the first act. What about the rest?

Again, I don't want to attack anybody. I just want to understand.

Hi Mean Mommy,

I perceive several possible misunderstandings in your post, and I'm not sure which ones are confusion on your part and which are just communication misfires. I'll try to take them one at a time and see where it leads us...

First of all, generally speaking, very few adult babies really are babies--and as far as I know, none of us are babies full time. Actual mental regression is quite rare for me--I was an AB for years and years before I ever experienced it, and it's still very infrequent and precious when it happens. Usually, I'm just enjoying the trappings of babyhood while mentally functioning on an adult level. I'm sure if I were a 24/7 lifestyle baby, that would continue to be the case. Looking at the posts from the ones here on dailydiapers who live such a lifestyle--boy ricky, lynniehyde, and others--it seems to be true of them. They don't write like they're regressed all the time. So they're not really trapped in the "first act". They're adults, growing and changing like anyone else. They just have an interesting hobby.

Second, that's not the only kind of 24/7 AB lifestyle there is. I think a lot of people identify as a 24/7 baby just in terms of their private identity, not sharing it with the world at large. You may know some 24/7 dom/sub couples who seem perfectly vanilla most of the time; it's just that the slave has given the master or mistress authority over them. Similarly, I've known some 24/7 mommy/baby couples who seem totally vanilla most of the time, but the baby has made a commitment that what mommy says goes.

Third, being an adult baby isn't necessarily about the "pleasure of regression," lovely though that is. For me, I believe I was drawn to diapers and all the other accoutrements of babyhood because they symbolize of something I felt I needed from life. Without getting into a whole long spiel, I'll just say that at an early age, playing with other kids, I realized that I was kind of a phony--always facing the world with a fake "big kid" pretense of aloof sophistication that masked serious confusion and anxiety and uncertainty about who I was and what was expected of me. At some point, I think I must have realized that the last time in my life I had really felt completely at home in my own skin, and not phony at all, was when I was a baby. Putting on diapers is in a sense about regressing... but really, for me, it's more about making a statement, in a potent symbolic language that my whole personality responds to: I don't want to be bound by that phony sophistication anymore. I want to be real, and do what I want to do, and be who I really am.

I can't speak for other AB's, but if I were ever to become a 24/7 AB, the purpose of that act would be to assert an even stronger, more uncompromising repudiation of phoniness, and acceptance of my true desires, however silly they might look to society at large. In an odd, backwards way, I think making such a commitment to living the way you want no matter what anyone else might thing is an act of profound maturity.

Now, all that said, I do think there are probably some people out there whose 24/7 AB lifestyle is an unhealthy thing for them. And others who are walking wounded, for whom their AB lifestyle is a crutch, and one they might be happier being less reliant upon. But I think for most, it's just a way to live and be happy, and it's great.

[Baby Bethany]

I think we need to define what is meant by 24/7 AB. Obviously many people wear diapers 24/7, but many of them are not AB. Besides wearing diapers 24/7 won't stop you from living your adult life.

The vast majority of AB's I've met/spoken to over the years have been like me, i.e. they wear baby stuff a few times a week or in the evening or over the weekend. For most of us the longest we have been in baby stuff is about 24 hours. The longest I myself have been babyfied (and by that I mean, regressed and only doing baby things) is from about 3pm until about 10am next day. The truth is that regressing for more than a few hours is hard work. Think about it, you can't do much other than play with toys or have a story read to you. You can speak, but only in a baby way and can't have a conversation. You spend a lot of time laying around and not doing much. If I did that all day today I wouldn't want to continue tomorrow because I would get bored. There is also the factor of the person looking after you and them getting bored too (the only way around this would be to employ a carer to look after you 24/7 and for that you would have to be rich).

So the vast majority of AB neither want to be 24/7 (because like me they also enjoy their adult life) and can't anyway (because they don't have the money to stay at home 24/7 and pay a carer).

I've only met a few people that say they are 24/7 AB, and in all cases this meant wearing baby stuff and using diapers 24/7, but they also continued with their adult life, i.e. they smoked, drive a car, watch adult TV, had sex etc. I've never heard of anyone being completely regressed 24/7.

I consider all of the above okay. However what I consider unhealthy is wanting to permanently harm yourself to become more baby like, i.e. so you lose the abilty to walk or talk, or injuring yourself to become incontinent.

Sorry, I can't get my head around that!

Beth

[lynniehyde]

I highly doubt anyone can get offended by your post Mean Mommy. As for living your life as an Adult Baby 24/7,it's possible if you're independently wealthy.

No offense taken, MeanMommy. But, Pampers Pete has it right as far as my situation is concerned. I was left a healthy trust by my great-grandfather. I was not entitled to it till I turned 50. My family founded "Popular Mechanics" magazine in 1902. Grandpa sold it to Hearst Publications, back in '58. So yeah, I'm a rich bitch. But, with money and if your time is your own, anything is possible. Even a 24/7 AB lifestyle. Scoff if you must, but I'm living proof that it can be done. I prove it every day of my life. Check out my website: heidilynnsworld.com/, if you have doubts. I still have adult responsibilities, regardless. Driving, shaving, bills to pay, errands to run, diapers to change, laundry, housework and so forth. Understand, being a solo 24/7, big baby girl is not easy. But, I still consider myself as much a 24/7 AB as anyone could ever be. I dress as a big, baby girl everyday.

I hate having to accept adult responsibilities. I wish I could find a Mommy I could trust to take on these odious adult tasks for me. Keep me in my cozy cocoon. Alas, I've finally come to the conclusion that this will probably never happen for me.*sigh* Hey, I'm cool with that. Thank God, I have a solid core of local non-AB friends. And, local AB friends, as well. I cannot discount my many friends here at DD, either. They keep me focused. They may not wish to change my diaper. But, they believe in, enjoy, celebrate and accept me for the person that I am. God bless 'em. Bless 'em all.

Cuddles,

--heidilynn

[Vic]

Mean Momma,

all here on the board are, by and large "adult". That is to say that I have worked with developmentally disabled adults, and some of them were true "adult babies" if you will. Not all of them were potty trained either.

Just by being on the board here, and being able to make the choice to be an AB, shows that this person is mature, and has matured over time. We grow, and our brains "mature". We live through live experiences that make us evolve.

Now that said, yes there are those that live the 24/7 baby "lifestyle", but for all intents for it to be otherwise, it is nothing more than a life they have "chosen" or as they may feel, has "chosen" them. That in no way means that they stop evolving and maturing, you only stop maturing when they lower you into the ground.

So I'm sure that your post has offended no one here, and believe me that the adult babies in question do mature and evolve as everyone else does, (with the exception of those who are truly developmentally disabled).

Peace,

Vic

[lilstinker]

It can be done, yes, but I never will go 24/7. There are plenty of people who just do not have enough time or money to wear constantly and meet the needs of being 24/7. I don't have a problem with anyone who is, so don't take this wrong -- as long as they are having fun with what they're doing and stay safe, no one has to worry. It's their own will and desire to perform these acts. Everyone has their own opinions, but no one is here to be judgmental. With that said, 24/7 is open to anyone if they are willing to commit to it as well as invest. Each to their own. Have fun.

[Mean Mommy]

Okay, okay, okay. I get it. It's not really a big deal as I thought it was. And, in fact, I thought wrong. That's the only time you'll be hearing (well, reading actually) me saying that.