[BunEars]

So my cousin, who happens to be 12 says she is a little but I am unsure if that could be true. Now I am not a little myself but I used to be a caregiver, I'm still not 100% sure on this though so could someone tell me if possible? I want to be able to educate her if she's confused on the way she's acting or not

[BunEars]

I think it's also important to mention that I couldn't find anything on this topic anywhere so I'm kind of at a lost

[Motherly]

At any age a person may discover they have a regressive personality; however, periods of rapid development may cause misinterpretation. The younger the person is, the higher the chances their personal evaluation is to be incorrect. Mostly, they lack experience and necessary growth to reasonably identify regression.

It is extremely normal, psychologically speaking, that a preteen or teenaged individual feels conflict over their interests. Their development makes it seem that they should instantly drop activities and interests that were prominent only just a year or two ago. It isn’t unusual for a teen to still discreetly play with dolls, binge on cartoons, or get lost in some fantasy storylines they’ve made up. It doesn’t mean they are regressing, but it is a natural step of growth and maturation. We simply don’t just wake up on our 13th birthdays and toss out our stuffed animals, vow to only read nonfiction, and turn our noses up to Bugs Bunny. We gradually feel differently about these things, and that can take years to fully lose interest in something deemed “childish”.

At 12 it’s doubtful the child has the mental capabilities to determine their personality traits and be able to filter through what is normal maturation versus what is abnormal and truly regressive. Even personal comparisons based on personality to other children in their age-range is a difficult task for a 12 year old to achieve since it takes a great deal of awareness. Personally, I feel like discussing this further, placing emphasis on it, could potentially be harmful in their long-term development since they will become more focused on not only convincing others but also themself.

They are most likely under the belief that this is a popular, fun, or trendy identity that is easily picked up or claimed with no harm. They’re in an identity development phase so it’s normal that they want to explore and experiment with easy pick-up and drop identities. Unfortunately, someone really should be monitoring their access online because all of the regression/littlespace sites I’m aware of are strictly adult-only. If this person is ignoring these content warnings and then feeling encouraged since no obvious “mature content” seems to exist then they may fall into a deeper bad habit of ignoring important warnings and disclaimers.

At 12 years old, if the person insists they are regressing and that it is an uncommon experience others in their age bracket do not likely experience then getting them to therapy could potentially be very beneficial. A psychological disorder could potentially be presenting itself, they may be evaluated and able to be educated that what they’re experiencing is normal, or they may conclude they are a little and therapy can help them maintain stability and accountability as they mature through the next phase of life. It’s better they are provided good mental health support than have focused placed on what they think is regression. Honestly, if they are truly a little then going through therapy shouldn’t cause any harm and could help them establish healthy ways to manage regression as they age.

In short, it’s highly unlikely the 12 year old actually knows what they’re claiming, but offering a connection with a licensed therapist could help them as they mature into their teenage and young adult years.

[BunEars]

Yeah I've got it! Thanks I really appreciate it, I'll get to talking with her as soon as possible about this and if we can, I'll contact her parents too to check on what she's doing from time to time.