#the other monkees just saw poor davy with tears down his face and wide frightened eyes and his thumb in his mouth trying to hold it all in

[monkee-mobile]

Do you think Davybaby ever regressed before meeting/joining the Monkees? Either in England or after moving to America

And if so how do you think he dealt with it?

I feel like he did but to a different level. he probably never really OFFICIALLY regressed and was really of seen as a little one during it until he came to the states, but when he was particularly stressed out while still in england he’d often go into a kind of weak state if his defenses were really down, he just didn’t process it through really regressing like he would later on. in england, he’d try his absolute hardest not to have that happen. he’d just feel really small and vulnerable and had no one there to protect him or help him through it except his sisters, but they didn’t jump right to babying him, they’d more just help him through the panic attack part of it all. usually he’d just lock himself in his room if he couldn’t brave through it and curl in on himself and sob until he fell asleep (poor thing). he’d often start sucking his thumb, but he just took that as a “weak” behavior that was just coming back from his childhood. He’d also often go pretty nonverbal for a while afterwards but he’d push through it all and move on (which definitely wasn’t the best for him, but it got him through that time. poor little guy didn’t face his own emotions at all). this kind of shutdown didn’t happen all that often cause davy worked hard to build a tough shell and braved it through all the way to when he moved to america and got out of the pressures of his family.

the move really did break him down because suddenly he was alone in a strange country so when the boys first met him he was definitely flighty and not the suave kind of guy he got to be once he became more comfortable, but they were all new to each other so davy didn’t really have a chance to feel super safe to just let himself feel things so he kept up the hard exterior he had built at first. but of course the monkees became very comfortable with each other and basically climb all over each other at all moments so davy started going “feral toddler mode” a lot where he would just go all silly and giggly and playful, so his comfort came through in a relatively childlike way, but he didn’t panic regress until a while after the guys were a group.

but eventually it happens and davy breaks down really hard at some point. it’s the boys who really start babying him when it happens. in the past he didn’t have anyone to really take care of him but things kind of clicked when he was held and talked to softly and he just sunk into the love that was given to him and it helped him process everything anew.

#the monkees #davy jones #davybaby #asks #i didn’t really go into specific incidents because i don’t really have official headcanon laid out for him #but this is how i see his regression at this point #the other monkees just saw poor davy with tears down his face and wide frightened eyes and his thumb in his mouth trying to hold it all in #and just wanted to hold him #mike definitely swooped right in and got all protective #and davy was surprised at first that being held and rocked and talked to in a soft voice would make him feel so much better #but it did #and he kind of got to reprocess how he experienced emotions as a whole #and start from the ground up in a lot of ways like a kid would learn #and he got to do that with the help of his friends who definitely ask him how he’s feeling in simple terms a lot when he’s little #but he’s safe and happy now and that’s what matters to mike #it definitely makes mike feel secure too because he has someone to take care of and know that he can make everything alright for davy #so it really breaks mike’s heart when davy is crying because he just wants to set everything alright #davy again is often ‘childlike’ when he’s happy too. it’s not necessarily the same as his panic regression or is brought upon in the same wa #way #but he’s kind of just a little guy all around so all emotions come out with him all little. it just lets him feel safe and like he’s not to #not to blame for everything #because he probably had a lot of pressure to be perfect on him (see his grandfather) #but now he doesn’t have to be PERFECT he just has to be davy #and he’s still worthy of love and respect #okay i didn’t expect to put so much in the tags lol #thank you for the ask!!!