What if your teen is wearing diapers not pullups but diapers?

Answer 1

There are a few possible reasons for this spreading through fields from medical to sexual.

I don't know how far your knowledge on this particular situation extends so I will answer based solely on the question, word for word.

There is the possibility that this is a medical condition and in this case a visit to the doctor's would be advisable. It could be a urinary tract infection, muscle/nerve damage or even a neurological symptom causing urgency or incontinence.

There is also the possibility that it is a paraphilia, aka; a fetish. In this case called 'infantilism'.

Now, contrary to popular belief, while this may not be 'normal' as per the dictionary definition of the word, this is NOT something to be afraid of. The very first thing to be aware of is that if this is the case IT IS NOTHING TO DO WITH PAEDOPHILIA. The two are not mutually linked.

I'll try not to bamboozle too much but it breaks down into two main groups, Vestic Infantalism and Fetishistic Infantilism.

Vestic usually revolves around age regression, often a person taking themselves back in their mind to a time when their life was a much simpler thing. Essentially, for a while, reenacting their 'babyhood' (or infancy).

Fetishistic centres around a sexual attraction to an item (in this case diapers) that would not usually be considered sexual. Taken down to its base roots, the most basic parts, this is not dissimilar to a leather, rubber or foot fetish.

If this is not medical then there is still a cure... but you probably won't like it: The cure for this situation is acceptance. If you try to force your teen out of this situation then you are going to do nothing other than force a wedge between you both and do far more harm to their personal developement than any fetish on the planet.

The best thing you can do is accept that this is just a part of who they are and that, of all the possible paraphilias out there this is by far among the harmless ones.

If you find this difficult to do out of hand then my advice is to sit down and have a talk with them about it, just to let them know that you know (if they didn't know this already), do a little more research so you know what questions to ask, a good site for this is understanding.infantilism.org, and let them reassure you themselves that there is nothing to worry about with this.

Make them aware of your feelings but try to avoid setting limits or rules. Instead of telling them you don't want them involved in this just let them know that if they must do it that you'd rather not be a part of it, that they must take care of all situations themselves. You'll probably find out that they're just as pleased that you not be involved. Of course, some parents have found a place in them to accomodate some of their child's desires but this is far from obligatory.