Connie's guide to age regression

punishments

sorry for not sticking to what i said but I realized there's a lot of misinformation here on wattpad as to punishments for age regressors.

it's really scary to be hit when regressed wether it be spankings or actually hitting.

spankings should never be used as punishment, ever.

most regressors regress due to trauma and we should never make their safe place "unsafe".

so, here's a list of suitable and unsuitable "punishments" or as i like to say consequences, for age regressors.

𝙐𝙉𝙎𝙐𝙄𝙏𝘼𝘽𝙇𝙀.

1. spankings/any form of hitting

this is unsuitable as it causes most regressors to suddenly slip out of their regressed state which is a horrible experience. as i said above a lot of people regress due to trauma and it's not going to make them feel safe and want to regress if they are being hit while regressed.

some regressors have also had bad experiences with the dd/lg community and it will remind them of that, which is something you do not want to do.

2. taking away comfort items

you know that stuffie your regressor fondly named after you and takes with them everywhere? or that blanket that they refuse to sleep without? DO NOT take these away as punishment. these things calm your regressor and help them a lot, they need these things and taking them away will make them feel unsafe and maybe even like you hate them.

3. leaving them alone for long periods of time

this is the only one that i've seen correctly represented on wattpad. leaving your regressor alone for long periods of time will make them question if you actually care about and/or love them. it'll make them question themselves and if they're good enough for you.

4. (ldr) limiting phone/computer/tablet/etc use

for long distance relationships, you should not limit phone use! now I'm not saying you can't set a YouTube time limit or a gaming time limit, but do not tell them to "not use their phone for (insert period of time)" if you're in a ldr with your regressor they are going to want to contact you and if you limit their phone use they'll think they aren't allowed to talk to you. this can be especially triggering if the regressor has a breakdown while regressed or even while not regressed. if they feel like they can't talk to you, they'll be more likely to steer away from talking to you even when they can and may feel as if talking to you about anything would bother you.

5. soap

some people might say this is a suitable punishment but trust me it is not. especially for younger regressors, they could end up swallowing the soap which will call for a very stress inducing trip to the hospital. if you feel something like this is absolutely needed (and as long as they don't have any triggering experiences with this [make sure to ask them outside of their head space]) then good alternatives could be hot sauce or lemon juice if they don't like those things. just don't go overboard, a little bit on the tip of their tongue is enough. (do not do this if they have any type of sore/sensitivity in their mouth!)

𝙎𝙐𝙄𝙏𝘼𝘽𝙇𝙀

1. natural consequences.

if they don't sleep, they'll be tired the next day

if they don't eat they'll be hungry until the next meal (however you should never do something like this for bulimic/anorexic regressors, always try to make sure they eat, even if it's just a cup of apple sauce, if they really can't eat, comfort them and encourage them that they've done nothing wrong and they're still your good baby.)

etc.

2. writing lines

I would only encourage this for things that don't have obvious natural consequences such as drawing on the walls, breaking something (on purpose), throwing tantrums in public places, etc.

however this will NOT work for people that regress to younger ages where motor skills are hard, for those regressors it's usually rare to act out and if they do it's usually because they need something, so please check in with them and make sure you find out what the problem is and fix it, don't force them to do something above their mental age level as this can cause them to slip out of headspace and make them even more upset.

3. five minute (or until they calm down) time out with stuffie/comfort object

always let them take their comfort object and make sure that you can see them at all times and they can at least hear you, as i've said already leaving your regressor alone for long periods of time is a no-no but if you feel it absolutely necessary to have a time out, make sure you give them a comfort object and that you're close to them at all times without actually taking away the meaning of the punishment. don't make it too long either, I'd say about fifteen minutes max, or until they calm down. make sure afterwards to talk about the problem and then assure them that they're still a good baby and that you aren't angry with them.

(saying you're disappointed isn't any better and infact could be worse)

I hope this helps any new caregiver and if you have more questions feel free to ask!