What do you do when you look 7 years old, but you're actually a college student in your late teens? For Kathleen's entire life, she had fought against people treating her much younger than her actual age. Feeling obligated to grow up fast to show people she wasn't the age of her size, Kathleen never let her inner child out. Tired of fighting against the world, she explores the adult submissive world. What she finds, however, is an enjoyment of regression. Had she made a mistake? Would life be better if she just let people treat her how she looks, 7 years old?

“I stepped into it, haven’t I,” Tiffany said meekly.

Mark said, “I am guessing there is something I don’t know about that is making Katie as you call her happier. Besides nineteen, what is her other age.”

“She lives most of her time as a seven-year-old girl by her own choice. Since she was going to be an adult today, her food was set on the adult table. She still choose to sit at the children’s table instead,” Tiffany explained.

Katie had just opened another box, and discovered a very cute elf costume on top of it, it looked to be her size. She wished she was her younger self so she could get away with wearing it. She continued pulling what appeared to be a Mrs. Claus and Santa costume out of the box.

She turned to another box and pulled more lights out of it. Most of these boxes she had discovered had lights or extra large ornaments in them.

She looked at Mr. Cooper and Tiff coming back in with another load of boxes.

“Set them there please,” she told them.

Mr. Cooper had stopped on the way out and picked up the elf costume, and stared at it, almost like he was going down memory lane. Katie stared at the costume longingly, which didn’t go unnoticed by Tiff.

Mr. Cooper and Tiff had returned with more boxes. After setting them down, he picked up the elf costume and tossed it at the hidden little girl, “Katie, catch. You are welcome to put it on.”

Shocked at being called Katie by her boss and getting the cute elf costume tossed at her, Katie had missed the red face on Tiffany.

“I really may?” the little girl asked, peeking out.

Tiff said, “Sorry Sis, I stepped into it.”

Glaring at her sister, she asked, “What did you do?” as she edged closer to the bathroom.

Apologetically the bigger girl said, “I said ‘both of your ages.’”

“So let me guess you know about me regressing to seven years old,” Katie said while still edging closer to the bathroom. She was glad it appeared the word diapers never came up.

“Yes, Kathleen or Katie,” Mr. Cooper said.

Katie uneasily asked, “What does this change?” with her hand on the door.

“Nothing, you are still my favorite volunteer. Well truthfully it does change something, I will no longer hide the fact I am treating you like my daughter. I will openly treat you like my daughter. Now go put that costume on, little girl,” Mark told her.

With a huge smile on her face, Katie stripped her jeans, t-shirt, and sweatshirt off, and put the elf costume dress on. She came out of the bathroom with a huge smile on her face. She hadn’t gotten far when she felt Mr. Cooper put the hat on her.

“Now that you are cute, what name do you prefer?” Mr Cooper asked.

After thinking for a bit, Katie said, “I would prefer my nametag to still say Kathleen, but you may call me either.”

“Well back to work, Katie, we still have more to get off the truck,” Mr. Cooper said.

Katie was glad she was working inside because she didn’t have any tights. She turned to empty another box, this one of smaller wrapped boxes.

When they were done, Katie was helped into the front seat by her boss. “Nice booster, Katie,” Mr. Cooper told her.

“It feels weird to sit in the front seat of Daddie’s Escalade. I usually sit in the child seats back there,” the little girl told him, blushing and pointing to the back.

Nodding he asked, “Tiffany what was your travel time to get here for my records, and remind me of your last name?”

“Fifty-five minutes, and Collins,” Tiff answered.

He told them, “Be safe both of you, and Katie before you lose that phone again, text me that you arrived safely.”

“Ok, Mr. Cooper, see you the twenty-first, if not before,” Katie told her boss before he shut the door.

As Tiffany started to drive away, Katie popped open her coloring book, to continue working on the picture she started on the way there.

Pulling back into the driveway Tiffany took it extremely easy driving into the garage since she wasn’t used to the size of the vehicle. After being helped down, Katie walked into the house where the adults were sitting around the table.

“Her last exam should be …” she heard her Mom say before everyone shut up and turned to look at her.

Tiffany tossed the keys back to Adam, before saying, “Here you go, it is back in the garage.”

“Excellent, can you please change Katie back to little Katie please Tiff,” he asked.

The big sister asked, “What clothes?”

“What she is wearing is fine, just put a binder and diaper on her,” Katie’s Daddie instructed.

Tiffany, smiling, took the soon-to-be-regressed girl’s hand, and said, “Come on little sister, grown-up time is over.”

“Wait, let me text Mr. Cooper first,” Katie said as she was texting him. Texting duty done, she handed her phone to Daddie, “Here is my phone again, Daddie.”

She soon found herself on the table where her big sister made quick work switching the pullup for a diaper. Changing the bra to a binder took a bit more work because of the bra straps. Once that was done the regressed girl went downstairs to the kitchen.

Uncle Jim was heard saying, "I have to work…" then silence when she walked in.

"What are you doing?" Katie asked.

Grandma Olsen told her, "Discussing Christmas plans. Do you want something?"

"A drink please."

After Grandma gave her some peach tea in a covered cup, she was told, "Now go run and play with the other girls."

Sunday morning the five girls were woken up bright and early so there was plenty of time to get ready for church. Once again Tina and Heidi were grabbed by their respective grandparents. About the same time Daddie was putting Katie on the changing table, Auntie Alexa came into the room.

“Megan, Princess?” She asked the girl still dressed in one of Katie’s nighties trying to wake up.

Megan answered, “Yes, Mommie?”

“Are you or is your brother going to church today?”

Shocked, but smiling, the little girl answered, “Me, Mommie if I can.”

“Let’s go to my room so Uncle Adam can get Katie ready in peace,” Auntie said while taking the excited girl’s hand.

Daddie made quick work changing the bottom before putting tights on the girl. He sat her back down before helping her put on a green satin dress. She was spun around and Daddie did up the buttons. Finally, her sash was tied.

After French braiding her hair complete with a green bow, she was sent downstairs. Megan, dressed in a red copy of the regressed girl's dress, met her in the hall. Somehow a brown wig had been acquired, and a red bow finished off the look.

Together they headed downstairs. "Both of you stay clean," Aunty Alexa told their departing backs.

Once downstairs the two girls found the other girls sitting at the kids' table. Heidi matched Megan and Tina’s dress was the same as Katie's but smaller. Well almost identical, the younger two had a white pinafore covering their dresses.

It seemed like Grandma Olsen was omnipresent because they had no sooner sat down when a white pinafore was placed over their dresses. Soon four plates of bacon and eggs were set in front of the girls. Orange juice rounded off the breakfast.

Katie felt a hand on her shoulder, looking towards it she discovered Grandma with one of her pills in her hand.

As they were getting in the car, Daddie asked, “Do you remember your lines, Buttercup?”

“Yes Daddie,” Katie said nervously as she remembered what she had to do today.

The seating in Daddie’s SUV on the way to church was almost the same as Thanksgiving. Surprisingly Katie had the middle booster. Heidi and Tina had the child seats, instead.

Auntie Alexa, who was holding Megan’s hand, opened Tina’s door when they got to Church. Tiffany was releasing Heidi on the other side. Katie looked both ways trying to decide which way she was going to crawl out of.

“Come this way, Sweetheart,” Auntie told her.

After she crawled out, Auntie grabbed her hand to prevent her from leaving. “I need three hands!” Auntie exclaimed. “Katie please hold Megan’s other hand,” she instructed.

While blushing, the girl held her cousin’s hand and was led across the parking lot. Auntie was talking to them, but mostly she was talking to herself, “I am not used to having three children when I am crossing busy locations.” She also said, “I am glad the store still had that dress in Megan’s size yesterday.”

Once inside the Church, the cousins’ hands were released, which Katie took to mean she could release her hand.

She did keep her cousins close by and gathered Heidi too in the process. She aimed the three other girls towards Stacy who was standing nearby in a red version of her dress. Her best friend was talking to Becka.

“Matching dresses again, and you gained another cousin,” Becka commented.

Katie nodded, “Yes this is Megan, she wasn’t around Thursday morning.”

Heidi looked like she wanted to laugh at that statement, but she kept her mouth closed.

Mrs. Greggory interrupted the little bunch, “There is my Mary and Angel, let's get you ready.”

“Ok, Mrs. Greggory, let me give my cousins back to an adult,” Katie said before directing them to Aunty Alexa who was standing close.

The two girls were then directed to the office. The pastor’s wife dressed Stacy up as Mary before dressing the regressed girl in a white dress. It must have been a size bigger than she was because it went easily over the green dress. She was next given wings before a halo was pinned in her hair.

The two girls were led through the common area to a door that Katie had seen but never seen inside of. The other side of the door was a backstage area. “You remember your lines Katie?” she asked.

“Yes, Mrs. Greggory.”

Going through another door they were on the church's stage. Still, they walked towards the right side where there was a fake well with some old-timely-looking pitchers sitting around it.

“Ok, Stacy you kneel right there as if you are getting water out of the well,” the adult instructed, as Stacy followed her instructions.

Mrs. Greggory continued, “Katie you stand behind the well. When the lights go down, you raise your arms and say your lines, looking towards Mary. This microphone in the well will get your voice.

Stacy, you look towards Katie in awe when she is saying that.

After the lines are done, both of you silently head towards the backstage area where I will be waiting. Be careful so you don’t trip on the cords because it will be dark.”

With the instructions done, the pastor's wife headed to said backroom. The two girls watched people milling in and getting seats. Katie was blushing a tiny bit. As more people started coming, she blushed a tiny bit more with each group. When the organist started playing the floodgates opened and the whole congregation found their seats.

Two minutes later the sanctuary lights turned off and Katie was shocked by a bright light she wasn’t warned about shining on her. It probably helped her more than it hurt her because it prevented her from seeing the people looking at her.

From memory, she said, while raising her hands, with red cheeks,

As she said the last bit, the bright light on her turned off as suddenly as it appeared. Quietly Stacy got up. They slowly headed towards the door that was opened just a crack. They could see it outlined in light because of that crack.

“Thank you Katie Telgenhof and Stacy Bullard,” she heard Pastor Greggory say as they slipped in that door.

As promised, Mrs. Greggory was waiting backstage and she directed them to the office again. Stripped of the costumes, she led the two girls quietly to the back of the sanctuary where she directed them to sit in the last pew. They weren’t allowed to join their families.

“Our children are now released to go to children’s church,” the pastor said.

Mrs. Greggory released the two girls from the pew, but they waited until Megan holding Tina’s and Heidi’s hand joined them. Together they went to the school rooms, dropping Tina off first, and Megan and Heidi next, before finally going into their classroom.

After a lesson about the Angel visit, the girls repeated the earlier process in the reverse order. Stacy, while holding Tina’s and Megan’s hands, led the Bullard, Olsen, and Telgenhof combined families to the adults.

Once back in the common area, they headed straight for the cookies, which got rewarded with Auntie Sara saying her biweekly statement of “One cookie, Girls.” Actually, Katie only heard it biweekly. She is sure that on the week she wasn’t there it was “One cookie, Stacy.”

They headed to the benches to wait for the adults to be done with the boring chitchat. Megan didn’t get there before she got cornered by her teacher.

Mrs. Bullard said, “You look very nice today my sweetheart.”

“Thank you, Mrs. Bullard,” the five-year-old said.

She continued, “You can call me Aunty Sara when our families are together. Do not call me that at school. I have to be Mrs. Bullard at school.”

“Ok, Auntie Sara,” the newly adopted niece nervously answered.

Auntie smiled and sent the girl to where the other cousins were waiting.

Fifteen minutes later the kids were directed to the car. It was as if each child had an assigned car because again Katie, Heidi, and Tina were in Daddie’s car.

After they walked into the house, Auntie Brianna asked, “What clothes do you want to fly home in, Heidi? Do you want that dress or jeans and a sweatshirt?”

She answered, “The sweatshirt option.”

“OK, we better do it before dinner. We have to promptly leave after dinner. Plus your Daddie is going to want to pack that dress in your luggage,” Auntie told her daughter.

The others, still in dresses, were told to play nicely while they waited for dinner.

Heidi, dressed in a pink princess sweatshirt, joined the other girls not long later. She was just in time to be ushered to the kids’ table one last time.

Once the kids had all finished their small slices of pumpkin pie, they were released from the table.

Uncle Jim said, “Heidi, tell your new cousins goodbye. You will not see them for Christmas. We couldn't get schedules to march up. You will see them again. BUT, we are not sure when.”

Heidi first went up to Katie to hug her, “Goodbye Ccoouussiinn.”

“Not me, silly goose. You will see me for Christmas. At least I hope so,” Katie told her former niece, now cousin.

So the girl went instead to Tina and hugged her.

Once Tina was done she turned to Megan and hugged her a long time before saying, “You make a better girl than a boy.”

“HEIDI!!!” Grandma Telgenhof and Auntie Brianna exclaimed. Meanwhile, Grandma Olsen was smirking and Aunty Alexa was shaking her head.

Standing on her tiptoes, the four-year-old kissed the shocked new girl on her cheek.

After hugging the rest of the people, she went to her Mommie who was holding her coat. After the coat was on Heidi got a quick slap on the bum from Auntie Brianna.

Katie heard Grandpa Telgenhof tell them to call when they got to Wisconsin as the Doore family got into their rental.

Once everyone was back in the room, she heard Grandma Telgenhof ask, “Where did you find that good quality wig so fast?”

“My neighbor does cosplay. I borrowed it long-term and didn’t tell her what it was for,” Grandma Olsen said.

Daddie came into the den where the three girls were watching a Christmas special. Katie was soon ushered out. She assumed to be changed, but usually, Tina was included in those trips. Nope, she was led to the Kitchen.

Walking into the Kitchen she found Grandma Olsen doing the dishes, Auntie Alexa and Tiffany at the table reading various magazines, and Grandma Telgenhof was grading papers. Daddie exclaimed, “Mom I keep telling you we have a dishwasher for that!”

Granny replied, “Pishpash, I'd rather do it by hand.”

Katie, wondering why she was in the kitchen, asked, “Am I in trouble?” She was leaning against her Grandma, getting hugged by her, while she asked this.

Daddie started, “No, Buttercup, I took …”

“No you are currently an angel, but wait five minutes it will change,” Granny Olsen said.

Katie, being shocked, spun around and stared at her grandma. Three snickers also were coming from the table. The girl wasn’t sure what her Daddie's response was since he was utterly silent.

Grandma while bending down to kiss Katie on the forehead said, “I was teasing you, Sweetheart. Now I believe your daddie was speaking.” She promptly spun the child around and continued hugging her from the back.

“As I was saying before I was rudely interrupted from the comedy section. I took you here to discuss your busy Christmas holiday break.”

Katie silently nodded, internally shocked that she was even being told advance plans.

“You have three family Christmas parties to go to” …,

“Three?” Katie asked.

Daddie nodded, “Yes your Aunt Sara demands your presence. You also have your service award ceremony, the Zoo is going to want you to volunteer, and Ann and Zoe are going to want to see you.”

Katie looked shocked that Daddie knew Kathleen’s best friends’ names, she replied, “Okay, and how did you know their names?” She was looking at Grandma Telgenhof who was, at that moment, very interested in the paper she was grading. She continued, “Never mind, forget I asked that.”

He continued, “You also are due, probably overdue, for your next quarterly shot, I have to work that in sometime when I have you.”

Katie blushed at that statement, remembering where that shot went.

“Ok, Buttercup, you can return to the other girls.”

She broke free of her hug and walked towards the door. She hadn’t left the room when Grandma Olsen started with, “Rudely interrupted! Comedy section! What am I going to do with you? Young Man, do you remember who is in charge of this family?”

“You Mother,” Daddie said.

“Do I have to remind you who is in charge of this family?”

Daddie exclaimed, “No Mother!”

Katie had been watching from the doorway, Tiffany was openly staring from the table, Auntie Alexa looked like she was trying not to giggle, and Grandma Telgenhof had raised her current paper she was grading to peep over it.

The patriarch continued with “Do I …” She turned to look at Katie standing in the doorway. She addressed Katie, “What are you looking at, young miss?”

“Nothing Granny!” Katie exclaimed.

Grandma Olsen continued, “Well unless you also want a sore bottom, I suggest you join the other girls.”

Katie said before departing very fast, “EEP!!! Yes, Granny!”

She was halfway to the den when she heard two loud slaps and Daddie exclaiming, “OUCH!”

Soon after she had been excused from a dinner of leftovers Grandma Telgenhof bent down and hugged her. Grandpa Telgenhof was waiting nearby for his hugs.

Grandma said, "Keep safe Princess, your grandpa and I are going to head home. We will see you next month."

Grandpa during his hug said, "Keep smiling my oldest granddaughter. Oh and do well on those exams!"

Katie said giggling, "Always the father, even when you are playing the part of the grandpa, GRANDPA."

"Always, Princess," he said.

She watched them drive away from the front window before returning to the rest of the family. Auntie Alexa had a pile of jackets in her hands.

"Megan, are you okay going home in that dress," Auntie asked her newest daughter.

Megan looked down at her red dress and squeaked, "Like this?"

"You will be fine. The most difficult part is walking from the car to the house. No one is going to say you aren't a girl when they see you," Auntie told Megan.

Nervously she held her arms out for her … Mike’s jacket. Once all jackets were on the family was escorted to the car by Grandma.

Grandma came back in and hugged her newest Granddaughter. Grandpa Olsen was hugging his son. They soon switched places.

"You two stay safe. I will see you next month, Princess. Tiffany, you too stay safe. Dinner is at one, next Sunday Adam. Don't be late," Grandma said.

Grandpa just said, "See you next month, Sweetheart."

Katie was watching her grandparents depart so missed the flurry of activity behind her. She turned around to see Tiffany taking her backpack to the mudroom.

Daddie came up to her and squeezed her bottom. He asked, "How is your bottom Buttercup?"

"Past damp but not wet." … with a surprised tone and look … "Never mind! Wet!" the girl exclaimed.

With a smirk on his face, Daddie led the girl upstairs to the changing table. She was soon fastened to the table.

She looked around her room to see if any casual clothes were set out. She didn't see any but her face was partially covered by her dress.

Once dry she was led to the mudroom to have a black pair of patent Mary Janes put on her feet. She was also helped to put her jacket on.

Katie realized that meant she was going home in her green Christmas dress. Once in her car seat, she watched Daddie and Tiff put the last bits in the almost full back. She saw her backpack in the back. It was sitting on top of what she assumed was clean laundry. That was because they were in her laundry basket.

Turning to her side she dug into her car bag to find a book, her ever-present coloring book, a Disney Princess magazine, and the Christmas American Girl catalog. That catalog was the same one she was given on Thursday. It still had her folds she made in the corners marking various things.

She grabbed a crayon and the magazine to settle down for the trip. Once Daddie took off Tiffany and he started talking about theater and dance. She mostly tuned them out but she had heard bits and bobs.

"I am currently working on a ballet costume for my final project. I had to design it, source the materials, and sew it. I will have to model it in front of my professors," Tiffany described.

Daddie asked, "You personally have to?"

"Our options are a mannequin, ourselves, or a person of our choosing," Tiff corrected.

Daddie said, "My involvement is more watching it, not in the design process."

Almost an hour later the SUV pulled in front of Whitlatter Hall. Tiffany soon opened Katie’s door and unlocked her from the seat. She stood around while the two of them dug in the back. Daddie put Katie’s backpack on her when he came to her and gave her the car bag.

Suddenly someone from the little girl's left grabbed her hand. It couldn't be Daddie or Tiff, they were on her right. Turning to look she found her roommate holding her hand.

Ally asked, "Adam, do you want me to bring this princess upstairs?"

Tiff asked what she was doing there.

"I was just walking back from parking my car," was the answer.

Adam answered jokingly, "I don't see a princess. I see a monster."

"DADDIE!" Katie exclaimed.

Daddie replied, "You know I am teasing Princess. Yes please take her upstairs and Tiffany and I will get the rest."

"Do you want me to get anything?" Ally asked.

Daddie said, "She has her book bag and car bag. That was the small items."

Once upstairs in their room, Ally helped the girl with the backpack before setting it on the little girl's bed. Once that was done she unzipped the jacket.

Once the dress was exposed, Ally exclaimed "Awe, how cute."

The regressed girl just blushed in response. She then jumped as her bottom was checked.

Daddie silently entered the room and set her laundry basket on the bed before leaving again.

Ally in the meantime was getting her diaper bag. Once she set a changing pad on the floor she invited the girl to lay down on it.

Again Katie found her dress partially covering her face. She heard a knock on the door.

Ally said, "Who is it?"

"Adam."

She responded, "Come in very carefully there is a cutie-pie lying on the floor."

Katie fuzzily watched him set another container on her bed, and walk out again. Once dry she was allowed to get up from the pad.

Looking at her bed she discovered the second item was a cardboard box of clothes.

Daddie was allowed to enter the room again. This time he set a large cardboard box on the bed. He bent down and hugged his daughter.

"See you in two weeks Buttercup," he told her before kissing her on the forehead.

The little one asked, "Daddie what is all this? I didn't have that much dirty laundry."

"The sealed box is your supplies and most of the open box is your tennis shoes," he answered before walking out the door.

Ally had already opened the box of supplies and was splitting the packages of diapers into two unequal piles. The pull-ups she put in the larger pile.

Meanwhile, Katie was starting to put away her laundry. Suddenly her hand was slapped.

"You aren't dressed for that, sweetie," Ally told her. She continued, "I will do that."

Katie decided that she wasn't going to argue with her babysitter and just took her book and headed into the cluster.

Ally told her departing back, "You have an hour before bedtime."

While Katie was reading, she watched Tiffany come across the common area with two packages of diapers towards her room.

1 Luke 1.30 - 1.33

Author's Note:Comments and questions are always welcomed -- Thanks Becky