During the time that I've been involved in age play roleplaying groups, I've encountered quite a large number of "cute" inner kids. These "cute" inner kids are those who place a distinct strain on the group with behavior that the player finds endearing but which is upsetting to other members and the flow of the group.
There are a few notes that I've come up with regarding these "cute" inner kids that I'd like to share with you.
1. "Cute" Inner Kids are almost always brats. Most of the "cute" inner kids who have filtered through my ageplay groups are brats whose keepers feel that their behavior is acceptable due to the fact that they are simply so "adorable" that they should be instantly forgiven and the adult should make things right. They're those kids who remind you of the biokid who can flash a smile and instantly get her way, or who always finds a way to take more than he gives.
1.a. This is a problem because most age players want to be punished for misdeeds. This leaves the people playing the guardian role very confused. If they spank the "cute" inner kid, then a tantrum of epic proportions results and the guilt trip is laid on, putting the responsibility on the adult to make things right for the inner kid. I've encountered this specific problem with inner kids both in online role playing groups and in real life, and I usually choose to disassociate from them.
2. "Cute" Inner Kids don't relate well to other inner children. Like the majority of brats, their purpose for being appears to be to lean heavily on the adults and not to interact with other children. They are very often bullies who push other people (child and adult) around when they don't get their way, but it's very difficult to figure out what their needs are, because they are constantly changing. Other inner children have a difficult time relating to this kind of behavior and generally ostracize the "cute" IK because they aren't fun to play with.
2.a. This is a problem because it places an additional strain on adults to interact with the "cute" inner child. When other inner kids can't find reasonable interactions with the "cute" inner kid, the "cutie" begins to put pressure on other members of the group to post with them. In the absence of interaction with their fellows, they need somebody to post with, and therefore the adults become the "go to" source for entertainment for this very stressful inner child. Along with the high brats, this is the sort of Inner Kid that generally makes adult players leave groups or shut them down when they are the management.
3. "Cute" Inner Kids like to run, with the expectation of being chased. These are the children who take off running when an adult calls them in from play time, tossing a big grin over their shoulder that cries "chase me! chase me!" They are the inner children who hide in their closets when a punishment is imminent, forcing the adult to drag them out by their arm in order to give them the punishment that they were begging for in the first place. They are kids who have such a high expectation of being found "adorable" that adults will do anything that they bid them to do, in order to reward their cuteness.
3.a. This is a problem because running threads are very stressful for adult players. Whenever a child runs away from a punishment or when he is called in from playing, the adult player is forced into a situation where she has to stop everything else that she's doing, and chase that kid down. This is also one of very few situations where power playing seems to have been deemed unacceptable when it comes to the adults, but where inner kids find that it's perfectly fine for them to dodge a grab by an adult without the consent of the adult player. In this way, the "cute" inner kid breaks several group rules for the sake of their cuteness.
4. "Cute" Inner Kids tend to have higher expectations of the group administrators and adult players. Most "cuties" seem to think that they have a greater right to expect that their threads receive faster replies than the threads of "non-cuties." They are highly competitive for quality time with the group's adults and demanding when they don't get exactly what they think they deserve. They post fast (often long posts, written quickly) and expect an immediate reply even when their roleplay partner has ten other threads ahead of theirs to reply to. When asked to wait, they often become belligerent.
4.a. This is a problem because group administrators and adult players do a lot of work for the group and "cuties" are rarely grateful. Most adult players and administrators also have inner children of their own that they want to have time to post. The demands being made by the "cute" inner kids take precedence since it's easier to post to them and quiet them down than it is to stall their threads while the admins or adult players post their inner kids.
5. "Cute" Inner Kids often feel that they have priority over less cute inner kids. They will post repeatedly, in multiple threads, taking up a lot of available thread space and refusing to post their required adults when their kid threads are receiving replies fast enough to keep them from having to log out. These "cuties" believe that the entire rest of the group is highly dependent on their presence in the group and that without it the group will fall apart. The adult who is currently in the process of spanking them is desperate for their next post, even though she hasn't had a chance to post her kid in three days while keeping up with the "cutie."
5.a. This is a problem because it builds resentment for the "cutie" and makes other players not want to play with him. Then, when other players cease to play with the "cute" inner kid, he applies more pressure shortly before making a passive aggressive exit to the group, followed by spreading the word to his friends that the group isn't a very good place to be.
The solution to all of these problems is for the keepers of those "cute" inner kids to take a step back and view the situation from the point of view of the people caring for them. Women usually have a harder time with "cute" inner kids than men do. Both biological genders are inclined toward having "cute" inner kids.
This situation requires a good, long look in the mirror to determine whether or not you are a force that is dragging your group down or if you are a force that is building it up and making it an enjoyable place for everyone to play. If your inner kid is placing a strain on group administrators and other member adults, then it's time to reassess the way that you play and the places in which you are playing.
What do you do, as an admin or adult player, when you encounter a "cute" inner kid in a group you're in? What's your solution? Do you muddle through and continue spanking? Ignore their threads? Ask them to leave? Please share!
