Children wearing tails?

[ShepherdMoons]

Dd's friend at drama club has recently started wearing a tail.She sometimes wears ears.It looks quite cute but I also find it a bit odd (they are 11).Dd hasn't asked to wear a tail (yet) but wondering if this might be her next question.I appreciate there's a bit of a trend for this at the moment and seems relatively harmless but I do find it odd.AIBU?

I used to wear a tail during my raving years several decades ago

Love this! If my children had said they want to identify as a cat, they would 100% be getting cat food for dinner!

My daughter who is 13 and has ASD (attends mainstream school) likes her tails! She makes her own (and for friends) masks. She makes masks for any dress up opportunity so not all are fox / cat but takes her tail and mask out when she goes to play out in the fields near our house. She's also worn them shopping and to trampolining - I think they give her something to hide behind. She is very much a loaner. She will also only wear grunge type clothing. I think she is finding her identity and as long as she isn't embarassed I am fine with it. She doesn't think she is a cat. However I was a goth as a teen and young adult and my sister is still very goth in her styling. We are a heavily ND family so as long as one anothers choices aren't hurting anyone then we let them go.

But how is it a sexual fetish? how is children dressing up as cats etc connected to an adult fetish?

I work in family support.
We've had a few kids like this at the same age. They would wear a collar and cats ears and a tail.
There's not much to say about it but irrationally annoyed the hell out of me that I was supposed to see past this nonsense and embrace it. I just played it cool and didn't encourage it.
If we were going on trips I would say ' oh cats can't come swimming , sorry' or ' I don't think they allow felines at the desert parlour' The tail, ears and collar soon came off then!

@garlicandsapphires it is an adult sexual fetish that has unfortunately now emigrated to children. It’s so wrong

FFS. Seriously step up and actually parent. There's everything wrong with it; and yes, I do judge the parents, not necessarily the child.

Not only the cat food. Insist they get worming and flea treatments every month, sleep on the floor in the kitchen, and sent out to do a shit in the street/ garden in front of the neighbours like normal animals. You're either an animal or you aren't. It's binary.

Yup and a litter tray.

Sounds like 'furry fetish'. My DD (then 18 yrs old) had a very difficult first year at Uni as one of her flatmates identified as a Cat in her halls and would put a litter tray in the communal bathroom. Honestly not making it up! It was really hard for the rest of the flatmates to do anything about it but eventually the 'furry' moved it into their bedroom after the accommodation manager got involved. Disturbing.

None of this would occur if we hadn’t moved from a play based childhood to a screen based childhood.

Christ Almighty! How are they allowed to do that at school? Absolutely ridiculous.

Darwin must be rolling in his grave!

Too old to dress up like kids do, when still a kid? Are you ok?

Therian and furry trend. It’s concerning. Lots of grooming and bullying online from adults. It’s on all the social media platforms, including games like Roblox. Hard for parents to really monitor

I think it is intertwined with grooming of children. It would be lovely if it was just innocent dressing up, but I think this is percolating down from an adult world. I'm also very cautious about anime, as I think this has similar elements of grooming.

If your DC have grown out of dressing up, but then start dressing up 2 or 3 years later, it is probably worth checking you know what they are looking at online.

There is also a much wider 'craze' with a similar origin that is fully entrenched in schools and and affirmed by teachers and those in authority more generally.

And actually used said litter tray?

Yep, absolutely. Gross. DD and rest of the flat were horrified.

Oh no, no harm at all.No fetishisation to be exploited by adults, none whatsoever .

There is no issue with kids dressing up and messing about but "furry" websites are very dangerous places full of men grooming vulnerable young people. I would not let my children near this as it puts them in a group with some very harmful men. I will not link or post here because it is very distressing content but google Nathan Knight and Aimee Challenor if you want to know more.

Don’t ask them if they’re furries, they might just be innocently playing dress up and you don’t necessarily want THEM googling it. I would be fuming if another parent brought up random fetishes to my kids!

I'd be mindful about what they consume online and watch that they're not hanging out on Furry/Therian communities.

For those who don't think it's a fetish I'd urge you to have a look in those communities or just attend any Pride march, I'm sure you'll change your tune.

And left it there, to be cleaned up (presumably?) by the others? It's not often I am rendered speechless..

Could be innocent, could be exploitation by a fetishist. Suggest checking.