For a Little, the ability to slip into a younger mindset, and bring their inner child out into the world to play can be a gift. It is a way to escape stress, relax, and just have fun. For people who have to be in control too much, it’s a way of forcing themselves to let go.
If you normally struggle to let other people take care of you, being in Little space can suddenly make it easier for you to accept help. Most Littles, by their nature, enjoy being indulged and cared for, at least to a certain extent. That’s really what the Little experience is about. Letting go of control, and allowing someone else to look after you for a while.
If you are a Little, or have a strong Little side, you might find yourself needing to be Little more lately. You might also notice that you’re slipping in and out of Little mode, or having to fight the urge to go into a younger headspace at times when it’s not convenient.
I want you to know that you’re not alone, and that this is a perfectly normal thing.
I’ve been trying to think about how to phrase this for a while without getting super political. Not that I think there’s anything wrong with that, but because I don’t want to shift the focus from my point here.
Realistically the world is terrifying for a lot of people for many reasons right now. Every day seems to bring new horrors in a seemingly endless train, and it gets overwhelming—to put it mildly. Just functioning in the world right now can be difficult.
Now, when people with strong Little sides are scared, worried, or nervous they tend to shift into that younger headspace more frequently. It can feel a bit safer there, since you can divorce yourself from adult worries, and let yourself relax a little while someone else handles things.
But the downside is the constant shifting back and forth as you try to manage both sides. It can make your day-to-day life hard. It can even put a bit more pressure on your partner/Caregiver, since they are taking on more of the adult responsibilities while you can’t.
All of that can result in Littles feeling bad about who they are. They can blame themselves for not being ‘strong’ or ‘brave’ enough to keep on top of things. They can get angry at themselves for retreating into Little mode. It can even be frustrating because they don’t want to be in a Little headspace, but they can’t help it.
Caregivers, you might be hearing a lot of: “I’m sorry I’ve been so clingy lately.” “I’m sorry I’ve been spending so much time Little.”
People often tuck Littles under the ageplay umbrella, when it’s connected to the kink world. Because you are making a choice to be in a relationship where you are the submissive side, with a Dominant Caregiver. People who aren’t part of this community often see Littles as pretending to be younger for a kink, and because of that they associate it with sex.
But as I’ve mentioned before many Littles are actually doing a form of voluntary age regression when they slip into Little space. And quite a lot of them separate sexual and adult activity from that mindset, especially when they are deep into a younger headspace.
The fact that they are in a D/s relationship doesn’t change any of that. And whereas ageplay is about pretending to be younger for roleplay (picture a schoolgirl getting spanked for cheating on a test by her teacher) being a Little is often (I would even say mostly) deeper than that.
It is a lifestyle. Most Littles do not consider it a form of pretend or roleplay, although they may do those things at times, because they feel and think like a child when in Littlespace.
And some Littles spend a lot of time in Littlespace. And while it’s voluntary on the surface, in the sense that they chose this life, it’s not always voluntary in the moment. Because when you open yourself up to being a Little, you can’t always control when you slip into that vulnerable place. It’s part of you and the more you live it, the more it becomes engrained in your personality.
It’s important to understand that this is a function of who you are. Retreating into this mindset is a form of protection for you. Whereas Ageplay is more about pretending, acting it out in roleplay for various reasons– acting younger and being Little are not the same thing.
So, it’s natural that as stress rises and fears grow, that you will retreat to the safety of a simpler world. Littles see things in a childlike way. As long as they have the things they want and need to focus on… they don’t worry about the big picture of the world falling apart around them.
Littlespace is a haven from the chaos. If you have the time and ability to let yourself escape into Littlespace without inconveniencing your life… I would take it. Use it to get rid of some stress, so you can feel refreshed when you emerge back into an adult headspace. Don’t blame yourself for needing more Little time.
Now, one last thing. What if you don’t have the time or the opportunity to be Little more often without causing problems in your life? I mean, that’s a valid issue. Your Little escape isn’t going to do you any good if it’s actually adding stress, right?
I’ve already written an article that addresses this subject. It basically gives you tips on fitting in small chunks of Little time that won’t interfere with your life. Kind of a release valve situation, where it might not be as much time as you want… but it’s a little bit here and there to help you destress.
You can find it here: FINDING TIME TO BE LITTLE
What I’d like you to take away from this is very simple. Don’t beat yourself up for needing to escape from scary stuff. It doesn’t only apply to right now, of course, but any time you’re faced with difficult times or extra stress. For Littles that retreat into a younger mindset is a form of selfcare, and selfcare is even more important when you are struggling.
So, curl up with a stuffy, pop on a cartoon, and let yourself be Little whenever you can. Any break from the stress is worth taking.
Musings of a Chaotic Mind 