By Daily Mail (U.S.) | Created at 2024-11-20 16:44:51 | Updated at 2024-11-23 21:29:59
3 days ago
A mom has begged people on the web for advice as she revealed that her nine-year-old daughter had developed a 'furry' obsession.
The unnamed mother took to Reddit to share her daughter's newfound interest.
In a thread simply titled Parenting, she revealed that her child - who is in elementary school - had always been obsessed with cats.
However, recently, her daughter's love for animals was taken to the next level when she began donning an animal tail, cat ears and crawling on all fours.
She revealed that her nine-year-old had been wanting to 'cosplay as a furry' and even saying she is a Therian.
According to Intraspectrum Chicago, a Therian is someone who identifies as a nonhuman being, such as a wolf, bear or cat.
Meanwhile, furries are people who identify with animals who have human characteristics, like cartoon characters, according to WebMD.
The mom shared that her daughter's infatuation with furries and Therians has left her worried about how other children at her school will treat her.
A mom has begged people on the web for advice as she revealed that her nine-year-old daughter had developed a furry obsession (stock image)
The post was titled: 'Advice on my daughter's furry/Therian obsession.'
She explained: 'My nine-year-old daughter has been obsessed with cats as long as I can remember.
'One day she saw a video of a furry dressed as a cat (a completely innocent video) and since then she's been obsessed.
'She tells us she is a Therian and that we just don't understand. That she wants to cosplay as a furry.'
The mom noted that the concept of the communities confused her as she explained that she didn't know how to deter her obsession.
She added: 'I admittedly don't know too much about the communities but I know one of them is seen in a sexual way by many and the other will get her bullied at school if she acts like a cat.
'Here's the thing, I was raised in a "no" and a "because I said so" household and I didn't particularly care for that. I've done my best to have an open line of communication with my girl. I've lightly touched on the topic with her and why she shouldn't look up anything "furry" related online. The Therian bit is more confusing to me. I'm not her, so I can't say she definitely isn't a Therian… but I am 99 per cent sure she isn't.
'Wikipedia Definition: A Therian is someone who identifies as a non-human being, such as an animal, wolf, bear or earthworm.'
The parent explained that she has attempted to feed into her daughter's creativity by purchasing her animal costume parts, such as cat ears.
The unnamed mother took to Reddit to share her daughter's newfound interest with social media users
However, her daughter has taken it to the next level and has begun crawling on all fours.
The mom revealed that she was worried her child would get bullied and pleaded with people to give her advice.
She said: 'I buy her cute costume pieces. She was a cat a couple of years ago for Halloween and has held onto the paws, ears and tail. I don't want to discourage something she might be passionate about (general cosplay) but as she gets older it's going to get harder and harder at school.
'Not that it matters too much but she's in a K-12 school so it's not like she can start over in middle school and then high school. Everyone knows each other there. At the store the other day and the park later on she would randomly walk on all fours before I told her to get up.
'She is strong-willed and I love that about her. I just don't want her hurt and I know in my heart that if I don't get her to chill she is going to be bullied or ostracized. Any advice?'
People on the web flocked to the comments section and offered up a slew of advice.
People on the web flocked to the comments section and offered up a slew of advice
One person said: 'She no joke sounds exactly like me at that age. If it's something she got from school peers I wouldn't be too worried, but definitely monitor her internet usage.
'I got into the online furry community around age 11 because of an innocent obsession with cats and it unfortunately exposed me to a lot of inappropriate content.'
Someone else added: 'Stop letting her have unrestricted access to the internet. If she is getting into things you don't know what they are, there is a problem.'
Another user wrote: 'No cosplay at school. Cat ear headband isn't a big deal and lots of kids wear them.
'Acting like an animal when you are supposed to be communicating respectfully and focused on learning isn't ok. She can't wear a swimsuit and goggles or an evening gown to school either. It's about time and place.
'If she wants to dress up as a cat and pretend to be one in her dree time, why not? I just set rules around how/when I'm willing to engage in that play with you and expect you to respond to me like a person when I'm not playing.'
'This is a giant trend with that age group right now. Giant. Just let it roll,' commented one user.
