Do You Wish You Were Still a Baby?
Have you ever woken up one day totally stressed about what you have to do that day? Wish you were still lying in your crib with your blanket? With all the stress of the everyday life I would love to go back to the day where all I had to worry about was what toy is was going to play with. I wish sometimes I could just be a baby again but I know that can never happened.
Well what if I told you that there was a grown man who does act like a baby, would you believe me?
Well guess what it’s true! I first learned about Stanley Thornton Jr, who is 29 years old, while watching a show on TLC called, My crazy obsession. He was been an adult baby for 18 years. In public Stanley looks like a typical 29 year old. He wears normal grown up clothes to go to the store to buy baby food, little do other people know that he is the one eating the baby food. When Stanley gets home he changes into his footed pajamas, drinks apple juice from a bottle and plays with his toys as if he was 2 years old. After watching this episode it made me want to find out some more information about this unique life style.
What is Going Through his Mind?
Stanley has paraphilic infantilism,a psychological disorder where a person has the desire to wear a diaper and be treated like an infant or toddler, this disorder is also known as adult baby syndrome. Unfortunately there is not a lot of research done on this topic but Stanley is not the only person who has this syndrome. What the research has found so far is that there are two different forms for this disorder. A person who engages in “infantilistic play” is classified as an AB (adult baby) and someone who loves diapers is known as a DL. An individual who loves to wear diapers and also engages in the role-play as a baby is known as classified as an AB/DL. Stanley is not alone in this world there are other people who are also adult babies and here is a website designed to cater to these adults.
I have found that there are many interviews done on Stanley, while listening to an interview provided by ABC News, Stanley reveals that he started this fantasy when he was 13 years old. He said, “It was a way to keep him safe from the world.” There are signs that Stanley is suffering from some form of PTSD based from an experiment of neglect or abuse from his childhood.
I just don’t know what to think about this guy. A part of me feels bad for him because he is living a fantasy world but then the other part of me gives him props. Sometimes I wish I could just escape from the real world and not have to worry about school or work. Don’t get me wrong I think it is really weird that he does sleep in a crib and eats baby food. I remember not liking baby food as a baby so I can’t even imagine eating it now. After listening to the different videos on Stanley I don’t think that he will give up this fantasy world.
If you would like to listen to a few videos in Stanley, here are the links
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kBTyRRxM94s
Sources used
http://www.care2.com/greenliving/adult-babies-what-would-freud-say.html
Related articles
- ‘Wearing a Diaper is Like Getting a Big Hug From Mom,’ Says Adult Baby [Video] (gawker.com)
- Nappy days: The 31-year-old man who lives as an adult baby… and even sleeps in a crib (mirror.co.uk)
- Meet Stanley Thornton, the 31-Year-Old Adult Baby (odditycentral.com)
- 30 Year Old Baby, Wear Diapers and Sleeps in a Crib. (oddstuffmagazine.com)
Rachelle, I thought your blog article was interesting, and honestly this was the first time I heard about “adult baby syndrome.” It’s pretty funny that you ask whether it has crossed our mind, wanting to be babies again or younger. I was talking to one of my friends about how things use to be much easier when we were kids, and I’ll we worried about was homework and playing with our friends, etc. I agree with you at times I also want to escape the world of responsibilities and just be without worrying about work, bills, etc.
Previous to reading this article, I had never heard of Stanley or his disorder. I was really disturbed and creep-ed out to realize the details of this disorder and that it really exists. The main thing running through my mind as I read tour article was “what kind of a terrible experience did this guy go through to become this way?!”. You mentioned He experiences some type of neglect or abuse as a child, but it had to be something extreme for him to resort to this. Well besides the obvious need for attention which I’m assuming is why he is broadcasting his problems on television..
I know many of us will entertain the thought of going back to childhood if we we’re given the chance. Nothing seems as wonderful as being carefree with no responsibilities. But everyone has to grow up sometimes.
I know many people who have had sad and troubling childhoods. Some of those people even experienced different types of abuse. But what I think is most commendable is the fact they were able to use their experiences to become stronger people, and help others who go through the same experiences. I realize not everyone is able to do this though, and this article show cases an extreme example.