First off, when we're talking about Middles as with Littles were emphatically not talking about what society at large calls children, those whose age from date of birth makes them a Minor and so both precludes them Adult responsibility and protects them by making illegal and providing recourse from any Adult who takes advantage of them in areas such as employment but more critically from sexual exploitation.
We ARE talking about legal adults who have in common the same sort of headspace as children but are both able to consent to Adult matters and do have under the law and societal custom, legal and social rights and responsibilities so are employed or study, are expected to 'pay their way' and face Adult accountability such as losing a job due to conduct or being sent to prison.
In general terms Littles and Middles notwithstanding what they need to do studying or at work, pursue hobbies and interests that are routed very much in their own experiences in 'childhood' coming from their 'Inner Child' often with the same intensity and passion that you'd think it was that' child' playing.
Sometimes you may play, draw or maybe colour by yourself or you may meet with others who share the same sense of being 'forever a child' in that sense be it around peoples own homes or by meeting up at venues which are often discrete as unfortunately sometimes families and employers getting completely the wrong idea either disown you or find some reason to fire you not least in some 'sensitive' posts and that's before we bring in the Tabloid press.
For some it begins and ends with just 'the play' for others it may extend into dressing more like the age of the 'child within' while do so with say dresses that wouldn't be far removed from that of a young girl at a party or play clothes like dungarees or for some of us school wear (and in the UK at least school wear is very much associated with childhood in the form of formal uniforms).
Definitions isn't a game I play lightly not least as often people disagree over exactly where the lines are and my personal feelings are they do have a crossover point if one accepts that the 'classic' little girl is a year older than UK Infant starting age, that's to say around Six then while Juniors ends at 11 or 12 which is the absolute cut off, in practise at around10 plus the gap widens when it comes to the type of play, increasingly sophisticated interests and language so marking the Middle out from his/her peers and continues on to around 13/14 when they become teens moving into be more 'adult-like' and seen as Older Children which we associate more with high school as move toward further education or employment (We lack an fully accepted term in the wider world of 'adult littles' for that 14 1/2 thru 17 headspace with some pushing Middle up to 17).
Getting back that 'child within' then if he or she comes out more in tune with Tweens or young Teens then personally I'd say the were an Adult (cos the law says so) Middle even if for some reason they still had a more classic little side which for I do, not least due to multiple disabilities some which do lead to learning and developmental ones.
That is why I identify as a Middle rather as a Little which doesn't mean I can't join in and play with littles at all it's that simpler there are other interest that aren't normally in there while we do share a need for oversight in our lives.
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