Rachel knew she should be watching somewhat more adult programing, but the cartoon was so much fun. Then The Electric Company came on. After that she changed channels, she told herself it was to find something more adult, but then she came across Blues Clues.
When that ended The Little Mermaid: The Series, was on The Disney Channel. It was a marathon, and Rachel was still enraptured when her mother came home.
Rachel didn't notice her. Rachel's mother's jaw dropped when she saw Rachel watching the cartoon like a preschooler. Part of her liked this, it was as if she had a young daughter again. She had had so much fun when Rachel was little. She had liked playing patty cake, dress up and tea party. She liked doing Rachel's hair and reading stories to her.
But she also recognized how strange this was. Her daughter wasn't a little girl, she was an 18 year old woman.
"Rachel," she said. Rachel didn't respond. "Rachel," she said slightly louder. Rachel still didn't respond. "Rachel!" Rachel jolted up and looked at her mother. "What are you doing?"
"I... I don't know. I just kind of got caught up and ... I'm not sure." Rachel stopped, and thought about it for a moment. "I think maybe I just needed a break from being an adult. I've been feeling like a little girl all day, and I just sort of went with it." She thought for a moment. She felt so silly, a grown woman watching kiddie cartoons. Still, it had felt great, carefree and not at all boring, so she wanted to do more. "I want to be little today."
Her mother looked at her for a moment, then sat in a recliner facing Rachel. "Ok. How little?"
Rachel's eyes lit up. It sounded like her mother didn't disapprove, it sounded like her mother was going to play along. "How about this little?" she said, then she put picked up the doll in her left hand and started sucking her right thumb.