10-Year-Old Asks If She Should Be a Furry

Dear Papabear,

Hi there! This is my first time using this platform. Anyhow, I was wondering should I be a furry? My parents think I’m trying to get closer to these possive therians at school, but this is how I express myself. I’m not sure if I want a fursona head but my parents say it’s OK. What do you think I should do?

Chip da Cat (age 10)

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Hi, Chip,

Thank you for your letter. Please read the following and have your parents read it, too, for their information.

To answer you, it all depends on what you mean by being a furry. If for you it simply means enjoying furry cartoons, movies, TV shows, etc., and maybe getting a fursuit head, there is certainly nothing wrong with that. And if you have some friends in school who are furries or therians and you enjoy hanging out with them, that is also okay. Another option is to invite furry friends to your home, where you can play games or watch TV shows, which is a safe and fun activity. Now, I'm not sure what a "possive" therian is, but you should know that therians aren't really the same as furries. Indeed, the people who call themselves "therians" these days use a different definition than we did back before you were born. Often, it means simply wearing ears and a tail and running around doing quadrobics (running on all fours). This is usually harmless, although as you know human beings were not meant to run on all fours, so this activity can potentially cause injury to your back, hands, and joints. Here is some helpful information on that which you should read, please: Quadrobics: Ultimate Guide to All-Fours Fitness [2025].

If you want to get active in the fandom and do something like go to a furry convention (furcon), then you will of course need your parents to accompany you since you are 10 years old. Many cons allow minors such as yourself to attend as long as a parent or guardian accompanies them, but some do not. I don't know where Broadmoor Rd is, since you do not provide a city or state, but you can look up conventions using this handy resource: Future Furry Convention Calendar | FurryCons.com. If there is a convention near you, check out their website to see what guidelines they have concerning attendees under the age of 18.

When it comes to the furry online community, this is a trickier thing. You need to be aware--if you are not already--that there is a lot of "adult" material online. This is true of furry and non-furry stuff alike when it comes to the internet, and even if you are not doing furry stuff on your computer or phone (if you have a phone), you should always have a parent supervise what you are doing. It sounds like your parents are pretty cool, so this should be something you talk to them about. There are a lot of nice people online, but sometimes there are bad people such as bullies and trolls, and you really have to be careful about that, Chip, sorry to say. 

When done correctly, the furry community can be a great way to have fun and make new friends as well as express yourself creatively. At your young age, though, you should do it with parental supervision at all times. When parents and kids team up to have fun, it can be a wonderful thing, and I feel pretty confident in saying that your parents are open to that, so that is great!

If you or your parents have further questions, please feel free to write me directly at this email address.

Welcome to the Fandom :3

Bear Hugs,
Papabear
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