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ACTIVITY => Activity Time & Toddler Activity => Topic started by: Mashi on April 16, 2010, 11:44:37 am
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DH thinks that some of DS's "behaviours" are a bit weird and I should not be allowing/encouraging them. I think that they are all normal for a toddler. Would like to know what the rest of you think!!
Mainly, he has decided that he wants to sit in my closet. As often as possible! It started a few weeks ago and has not let up. He goes into our bedroom, slides the closet door open, gets in and closes it. And just sits there quietly. All on his own is good enough for him, but if he can manage to convince me to get in with him he's even happier. And so when I do go in (cause I am curious what's going on in there) we just sit. That's all. Just sit. In the dark closet. ::) Some days I give him his little mini flashlight and he will sit in there for 5-7 minutes without making a peep. And then he will slide the door open, shout greetings and giggles and then get back in. He can play "closet" for up to an hour at a time. DH does not think I should let him in there, because it is "weird" to sit in a closet all day.
There are a couple of other "odd" things but they have suddenly slipped my mind now that I have started this post...will add them if/when I remember.
What do you think - let him sit in the closet all day, or not?
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Well, as someone whose younger child spent all yesterday afternoon cutting and taping and drawing on pieces of paper to recreate the life cycle of a butterfly repeatedly - and now has a LOT of paper scraps to clean up, but no no doubt balk at it as we'll likely have to do another 5-6 iterations this morning before breakfast ::) - I can't say that closet-sitting is a bad thing. Different from mine, perhaps, but not so bad.
How about you give it a few days, give it time for the novelty to wear off while you occasionally tempt him with something new and fun to do - maybe work on hi pea gravel collection (Josie has one of those, actually ;D) - and if it doesn't wear off by then, start with a timer, perhaps: "OK, you can sit there for a while, but when the timer goes off we're going outside for a walk" kind of thing. Can you maybe make him a sort of closet-like retreat? Natalie's closet door isn't there any more, but we have it covered with an old bedsheet as a curtain, and for about 2-3 weeks she had DH and me stretch it out to make a "tent," and both girls slept under that tend off and on during those 2-3 weeks; it took a trip to the grandparents to break that routine. LOL They still ask to do it from time to time, though, I think because they just like the sort of "cocoon" feeling, and now that the weather is warming up they can go in the back yard and use the little IKEA tent we keep in the garage, put it where they want it, and just hide away in there. In fact, why not make an IKEA run for a tent he can use. They also have the cutest little kids' chair with a pull-down cover that I wish I'd gotten when we could still afford it. ::)
So I'd go ahead and let him have some closet time, at least for now. It is AMAZING how much kids can learn about their senses, about flashlights, about what they can perceive without seeing, thru experiences like that! :) At least he's not tearing apart your house or pouring paint into the drawers with clothing, right? :)
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I think it is a bit odd, but then so are many of the things that ds does :P!!
Seriously though, I think it only sounds odd because he *keeps* wanting to do it iyswim? As in, if he's gone in there once, sat in there for a few minutes and then came out, you would not be posting about it on here. But because he now keeps on going back then the question of "is it odd that my kid wants to sit in a closet all day??!!" is suddenly a concern. But then it sounds from other posts that Mini-mashi finds something he wants to do and then becomes fixated/determined about it, and that is just part of his character. Ben will find something new and then will happily do that one thing over and over and over again (he looks at the same book about fish, he plays with the same little car, wants the same lights on while he eats his breakfast ::)....you get the picture) - and from what I've read about other spirited lo's they do tend to have this trait. So, I think it is probably 'normal-odd' :D just like much of the other stuff that kids this age do
xxx
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Mashi, I have noticed T going into dark closets too. I always go get him right away, but I'll bet if I left him he'd stay in there for awhile. I never thought it was weird, I thought he was just being normal! Next time I'll leave him and see what he does!
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I think you have an absolutely adorable, sweet little boy that is curious and creative. I'll bet there's all sorts of interesting shadows in there because even with the door closed there will be some light peeping through. He's probably also interested in how the sounds are different coming through the closet doors when people are talking, it must be all muffled. Personally, I would leave him to explore, he'll get bored of it soon enough and then be onto the next "mission" (as my daughter likes to call it).
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Oh, jeez. If I could tell you the time dd has spent in her closet!!!!! :) It's fun..it's cozy...it's different. Plus, boys are so obsessive about a new "thing" don't you think? Like I have seen my nephews go through such all-consuming phases where EVERYTHING was about firefighters, or EVERYTHING was about tools...kwim?
If it bothers dh (men ::)) then maybe make a tent/fort with ds...maybe that would be more palatable for dh...and fun for you guys too!! All you need is a blanket and a few chairs! Maybe he'll like that just as well! Awesome that he can entertain himself...!!
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I haven't read everyone's responses Mashi, but wanted to say that Ava LOVES going into our kitchen cabinet. She was calling it her "house" but has since learned the word "cabinet". Now she goes in and sits in there while we prepare dinner, etc. She is content. She can actually see out of a window while she's in there b/c it has no back and we pushed it up against a low window as a temporary storage solution. She looks out at the yard and sits in there happy as a clam. I think she'd do the same as Mini Mashi is with the closet thing. It's like a "fort" or his own special hide-out. I don't think it's weird at all.
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I agree with previous posters. What harm can come of it? As long as he's not sneaking a pair of scissors and playing The Blind Costume Designer on your clothes, I don't see anything wrong with it. Let the boy have some fun and I will bet pretty soon he'll move on to something else.
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PMSL@ Blind Costume Designer!!!! :D :D :D
And know what? Adults have obsessions too! One word: Farmville! ;D
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lol. i think that's precious. he is probably thinking up cool adventures. my DD likes to play alone in her closet also. it would be cool if DS was older and could tell you about what he's thinking.
i dont want to go against your DH, but i think he's over-reacting. did he say why he has a problem with it? like specifically, not just that's weird.
the fort/tent idea from pps is a great idea. hmmmmm. i wonder if they make a princess tent? =)
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Toddlers have all sorts of weird quirks, I think if you let them follow their obsessions to their hearts content, they get over them a lot sooner!
Young kids really do love going into small enclosed spaces, my older son still loves finding big bushes with natural opnings in them to make cubbies. I once saw a program by a child psychologist and he reckons it is kids trying to re-create the womb. Make of that what you will!
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I don't think it's odd. There's plenty of literature that says toddlers enjoy an enclosed space to hide, as they like time on their own in tent-like surroundings! He sounds like a sweet boy, Mashi :)
:-* :-* :-*
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Doesn't sound odd to me Mashi, simply because I used to do that when I was little...!...not sure what was so alluring though, but I think it has to do with being alone, having a different experience in the dark & the silence..!...I was/am weird .. :-\
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Mine do that too Mashi. We recently got new wardrobes and the kids love them. They have somewhere to sit. In fact in one of them we have integral drawers and Ellie will sit in that one as squashed as possible and get the doors shut as much as possible. Other times Shay and Ellie will sit in the same one and just be really quiet, I actually love those times, a bit of peace! I think it's just kids being inquisitive. But the fort thing is a good idea, could be the next thing for him to get an obsession about :-*
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Are you kidding? a quiet activity that keeps him entertained for long periods of time? I would ENCOURAGE closet time!!! DS1 has gone through many phases of "weird" activity, if you want to call it that. DH and I just give each other "the look" and continue on with life. He recently decided he wanted to sleep on his floor after we bought him new bunk beds, this after sleeping in a small toddler bed. I was a bit frustrated that we had spent $$$$ on this bed and he wanted to sleep on the floor ::) ::) ::). But guess what? He got over it, he slept on his floor for about 2 weeks, and is now back in his bed and on to the next phase, which is making robots out of legos and putting them on his window sill for God to see. ;)
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Doesn't sound odd at all. I think it is creative for him. He is exploring and discovering new things. Madi loves our walk in closet. She will go in there, close the door and talk to herself.
I am sure the novelty will wear off.
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Doesn't sound weird at all to me, either! I wish I could get H to do that!!!! But he does like to go in our walk in closet and close the door (he's into the open the door, close the door game! ::) ) And does the same think in the bathroom...closes the door to the shower/toilet room while I'm in the vanity area. Never gets into trouble, but just sits in there!
I think pps are hitting the nail on the head with he's learning and exploring!! Foster that!!! And if your DH has an issue with it then have him build forts with him!
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Are you kidding? a quiet activity that keeps him entertained for long periods of time? I would ENCOURAGE closet time!!!
I had to laugh at this because that is exactly how I feel! he wants to play in the closet and I'm like WHOOOOO HOOOOO, off to BW for twenty minutes!! ;D I personally have no problem with it - as all of you have said, he's having fun, doing something interesting to him (who knows why it is interesting but hey if he likes it why care?) He likes opening and closing the door (it slides) and sitting in his little "fort" -- yes DH makes lots of forts with him, most every night really, using a variety of things (quite often the clothes maiden with bedsheets hung on it in the living room and he will just sit in there doing NOTHING for ages. If DH does not mind this why does the closet bother him so much? ??? Kids like small spaces - Nicole I love that Ava likes going into the kitchen cupboard, soooo cute! No idea why it bothers DH though? I think he just thinks it is strange and anti social?
But then it sounds from other posts that Mini-mashi finds something he wants to do and then becomes fixated/determined about it, and that is just part of his character.
Um, do you know my child or what?! Yes yes yes, everything with intensity - exactly like his father, so again I ask, what's the problem! ::)
I suspect that one of the reasons he likes it is because the first time he went in I probably said something like "Oy, you little stinker what are you doing in mommy's closet!?" and laughed and went and tickled him in there which to him meant "hey this is something funny" and now can't drop it. He's like that...do something once and have fun with it and you are FOREVER having to do it again. And again. And again.....
Little stinker!
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I wrote a whole post earlier and got error message and lost it!
But long post, short, DD spends ALOT of time on and off sitting behind the curtains in my room! I used to think it was so weird but did cherish the quiet time!! Now she's speaking pretty well I can ask her what she's doing. One day this week she said 'looking at shadows' and another said 'relaxing'!! Can't really argue with that!! May not make sense to us but I'm pretty sure in their toddler minds it makes perfect sense!!
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no not strange at all, my ds like to get in the drawers under my bed :-\, he is forever pulling all the spare towels and bedding out and climbing in, he also every night un buttons the duvet cover and gets in it like a sleeping bag, then i have to rescue him because he can't find his way out.................. i could go on but then you will all know how daft my ds really is :D
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our guys love the closet too.....loved it before they had flashlights, then got diego and dora flashlights with ends on them that make images on the wall and now the closet is a crazy fun place! they beg to go in :):)
totally normal i say!
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Ooh - I'm going to start leaving my wardrobe door open to encourage DS in!!
Interestingly I'm very envious of my friends who have just redone their bedroom. There was a built in wardrode that they have fitted another over the front of so that there is a little passage and then an open area behind some clothes completely hidden from the outside - my friend jokes that it's like Narnia!! I'd love something like that just the idea of a 'secret' place.
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I used to sit in a cupboard in my dad's office, as much as I could. I must have been a little older than your DS, because I remember it well. It was warm and quiet, two things I still enjoy today (although there's no cupboard big enough anymore ;) ) And I'm perhaps the most normal person I know (if a bit boring! ::) )
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I'm with you there - time to start leaving the door open too - it might give a few minutes relief from the boys bashing each other if one of them went and threw out my shoes and closed the door on them.
On the other hand... perhaps I should go and hide in it instead.... ;)
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Careful, Alex - with two of them, one could shut the other one in against his will.
Can anyone guess how I happen to know this little tidbit? ::)
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LOL Deb!
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My DH and his younger brother did play the "Let's see who can slam the closet door the hardest" game when they were younger. His brother who was about 2 or so at the time got his finger slammed in the door and had to have the tip sewn back on. DH ran downstairs to his mom and simple said "Mom....I think Jamie's hurt." while his brother was wailing upstairs.
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From your DH's perspective it might seem weird, but not from a toddler's perspective. Sounds like he's enjoying it!
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I just wanted to come and tell you Ellie's new thing Mashi. She now has to watch ice age while sitting on a dining chair right up to the telly (we have huge histerics if it's moved) whilst wearing her winter bobble hat!
So no, DS is not weird! Beginning to think Ellie is though :P
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LOL Faye!!
While I have everyone's attention, I remembered the other one DH wanted me to ask about.
So he is car obsessed, of course, but he makes his cars kiss. ::) Like puts the front ends together and then makes a kiss noise, like a girl would do with her dolls, kwim? Dh thinks I should be discouraging this. Sigh. Yes my DH has issues. DS also feeds his cars. The front end is apparently where the mouth is (headlights would be eyes I suppose) and he shares his snacks and dinner with them, offering them bites and drinks and so on. Used to share with his stuffed animals but they're on a diet apparently. At the playground he uses his shovel to offer scoops of sand to the cars to eat, he smacks his lips when he does it, similar to how a parent would do when feeding a baby.
Again DH thinks this is odd, weird, we should not be encouraging it, but distracting him when he does it and so on. I think my DH is nuts.
Opinions on who is the crazy one here are welcome....my DS for feeding his cars/making them kiss? My Dh for not liking it and making an issue of it? Or me (who meeeeeeeeee??) for thinking it's all fine and normal and not giving a toss. (No offense will be taken from your choice!!!)
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LOL, I'll vote for your DH being the nuts one!
In a toddler's mind, what rule is there that says cars can't kiss?! He's not aware cars don't usually kiss (but we also watch cartoons like cars and Thomas the tank engine so it's pretty normal he'd play with that).
Normal!
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VERY normal... my vote is DH as well
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Playing with cars like they're alive is probably even MORE normal than sitting in a closet!
Yes, your DH has issues! :D Then again, we've all read about your IL's..... ::) That might explain a great deal....
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LOL
As tempting as it is to say you Mashi, I'll too have to go with DH!
Besides, when Roop was driving his car it 'kissed' another car ;) :P
I think it's perfectly normal myself, he's just role playing. It just happens to be with cars.
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LOL
As tempting as it is to say you Mashi, I'll too have to go with DH!
:P
Besides, when Roop was driving his car it 'kissed' another car ;) :P
PMSL!!!
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My DS always kisses penguins...pictures of penguins, toy penguins....DH taught him to kiss by giving 'Mr Penguin" a kiss and it just went on from there....LOL
I remember loving being shut in the wardrobe too...I am a bit odd I suppose but nothing out of the ordinary :)
I think your DH needs to stop worrying, your LO sounds lovely and bright to me :)
xx
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Just happened upon this thread and have read thru it all - every toddler I know has their own little 'quirks' which may be odd to some folk, but perfectly normal to others, kwim? Alice goes thru different phases all the time - which seem a bit obsessive sometimes, but I just let it slide (as does DH) as before you know it she's doing something different.
I don't think the closet hiding or the cars kissing is weird . . . I have to say that it's your DH I'm worried about LOL! ;) :-*
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I think your DH needs to remind himself that toddlers are different to school kids!
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And besides. Your DH is British. We are all weird in our own way :P
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are you writing any of this down? I started a journal of funny things DS does/says and have 4.5 years of great stuff to share with him when he gets older. SIL did this with her kids who are now in their early teens and they LOVE to have it read to them and laugh at all the silly stuff they used to do. I say ignore your DH and let your LO be himself! Why try to change him?
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I sometimes have to remind my DH, especially when one or the other or both of mine are being especially difficult (ar at least not the way DH would like them to be at that moment), to just shut up and love the kids he HAS, not the ones he WISHES he had. Those kids may or may not live here, but Josie and Natalie DO, and they love him to bits, even when they're treating him like cr@p (or tickling him instead of going to sleep, or whatever). ::)
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Definitely should start writing them all down. His baby book is collecting dust and I should get off my butt and do something with it!
I guess I have given a bad impression of my DH - he is not trying to "change" DS nor does he wish he had a different child and not love him to bits for who he is. Not at all like that. This is all in the tone of "Uh, is that normal?" or "Um, do you really think you should be encouraging that?" Sort of in the same tone that he was not impressed when I bought DS a doll and says he is totally against it and does not agree that it is acceptable for boys to be playing with dolls ( ::) ) but yet he plays with DS and his dolls every night, sets up tea parties for them, plays hide and seek with them (DH hides the doll and DS goes searching for it with his flashlight, then DS hides him and comes and gets DH and shows him where to look :P ), and then moans and complains to me that DS should not be playing dolls when he's a boy. So it's all in that "tone" iykwim, not in a "this is a huge issue" tone.
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So your dh is worried about mini-mashi making his cars kiss and then sets tea parties with dolls - that's a new one! :D :D :D
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It sounds like a laugh a minute with mini-Mashi! LOL!
My DS likes being closed in cupboards too. Used to think it was a bit strange that he'd ask to be shut in a cupboard that he couldn't open himself, but he seemed to like it and doesn't ask to do it so much any more. That said, he's put himself in the pan drawer in the kitchen (after turfing out all the pans) and asked for that to be closed too and regularly tries to get in the lockers at the swimming pool and (guess what?!) closes the door behind him! All the other mums think it's hysterical. Gives me some peace and quiet to get dried and dressed, so that's all good :D
Love the kissing cars too. Is it just that they're not human/animal that's the problem? Would it be different for your DH if it was two stuffed toys, I wonder? Men are just odd sometimes, so it's little wonder that little boys would be!!
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LOL Mashi!! Bless your DH!
From a development point of view (maybe you can reassure DH!) toddlers see inanimate objects in the same way they view people and attribute them with the same qualities etc. Thats why it takes toddlers a while to get pronouns and you'll frequently hear them talking about toys/vehicles etc as if they were people and referring to them as he/she as opposed to 'it'!
I am actually really impressed by the level of your DS imaginative play. Its really complex for his age.
And what is it with men! My DH was distressed the other day when DD went to play with his nephew and he pulled out dolls and nappies to play with. Went on for hours about how his sister shouldn't be letting him have them! Then I told him that she frequently paint his nails when he asks so that nearly finished him off!!!
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Mashi, I think we need to start a thread for the benefit of your DH....it can be called "what your toddler did today that was a bit, well, odd!".......I'm sure he'll be reassured once he's read lots of stories about other weird and wonderful things that toddlers get up to all over the world!!
I'll start off with the fact that DS has, for the past month, been telling every living (and sometimes non living) thing that they need to eat :D!! So every bird, bee, ant, flower, lorry, dog, child, that Ben comes across, whether it be in real life or a book, is *loudly* informed that they need to "EAT"..........it all started when I got him to help me to fill the bird feeder so we could watch the birds 'eat' ::) :P.
xx
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Start it Claire!! Start it!
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I guess in my world if the kids are playing happily and not hurting anyone/anything or playing with something that might hurt them or someone/something else, I'm OK with it. If my kids wanted to play football I'd be fine; I'd be OK if they wanted to do wrestling, although maybe not so much with the boys groping them in the process - but that's another story. :D If they want to have tea parties repeatedly all afternoon, then they do - because that's what kids DO. It's how they play out what they perceive of the world around them. If you stem it one way, they'll find some other way. If it's not the closet, it'll be under the dining table, or behind the sofa. If it's not the cars, it'll be teddy bears or spoons at the table. Heck, I've got a 4YO who likes to play Pull My Finger.... kissing cars would really be the least of my worries. ;D
I guess I can't see a big difference between discouraging, or wanting to discourage, a certain behavior and disapproval of the mind behind it. :-\ I'm not trying to be snarky; that's just the sort of model I have in my head. What they do IS kind of who they ARE, or at least the visible (or audible, or olfactory, or tactile LOL) manifestation of who they are - to me, anyway. :)
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I guess I can't see a big difference between discouraging, or wanting to discourage, a certain behavior and disapproval of the mind behind it. Undecided I'm not trying to be snarky; that's just the sort of model I have in my head. What they do IS kind of who they ARE, or at least the visible (or audible, or olfactory, or tactile LOL) manifestation of who they are - to me, anyway. Smiley
Yes but at the same time that is what "socialisation" is about - teaching / guiding our children about what is appropriate and acceptable and what isn't. If a 10 year old wants to walk around town naked, you would expect parents to explain how that is not socially acceptable and discourage/forbid it. There are some things that simply can not be accepted as "just who we are" and allowed to go on.
Why I have tried to clarify my DH's tone about this is not because he is saying to me in a very serious, stern voice "Um, Mashi, I have serious issues with this car kissing business and it should be very strongly discouraged because it's not right" - he is saying "hahahha, he's doing the kissy thing again with Dumper and Taxi...is that a bit weird or is this what kids do? Don't you think we should be telling him that cars can't kiss like people kiss, or what?!" There's a difference. This is not a matter of not accepting who DS is or what personality traits might be motivating him, it's about knowing if these are odd behaviours for a toddler to show.
We have limited social contact, and the interaction that DS does have with people is quite confusing for him due to language and cultural issues and it often causes us stress worrying about DS's ability to socialise "appropriately" and understand what normal healthy relationships and friendships are about. So wondering if he is acting "normal" with car kissing and feeding and hiding in the closet and such is not my DH attempting to force his son to be someone he's not, it's him concerned about his child's appropriate growth and development and what he might be lacking in from not having a network of people around him.
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Mashi I agree with Claire that perhaps your DH would be more comfortable knowing that 'this' toddler did this or 'that' toddler did that. One of the advantages of having a site like this to come to!!
My DS is a few months younger than yours but DH and I will often raise eyebrows a bit at some of the things he gets up to...he's in a hugging stage at the moment and hugs EVERYTHING that he likes/loves; dolls, teddy bears, the cat, people...toy cars, trains...plates, spoons...the remote control ::) all the while making the Ahhhh noise!
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Opinions on who is the crazy one here are welcome....my DS for feeding his cars/making them kiss? My Dh for not liking it and making an issue of it? Or me (who meeeeeeeeee??) for thinking it's all fine and normal and not giving a toss. (No offense will be taken from your choice!!!)
It's normal! Stan's planes kiss, they get tucked up in bed, I have to read them a story and give them a kiss when they bump their heads. I have lost count of the number of times I have had to tell big plane 'It is time to STOP FLYING now plane! Stan needs to sleep! You must lie down and go to sleep otherwise you can't sleep in Stan's bed!'
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hugs Mashi
Oscar had/has a car obsession that has changed over the past 2.5 yrs or so.....
For about a year btw 2 and 3 he refused to call food, food - it was petrol to make him faster.....UGH!
O likes to squish himself up into a ball in tiny spaces so all 110cm and 20 kg of him fit into one of the blue taller IKEA toy boxes....and this is something he only STARTED doing around about 3 mths ago....
Since Emma was born he has been known to hide in her wardrobe, bottom shelf, again in a ball....
Before that, he loved the walk-in mess we call our downstairs wardrobe....Emma is also fond of opening the sliding doors and hiding there already....
S x
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i love mini-mashi - i want to play with him!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
i think maybe your dh is just doing Dad style what we moms do - worrying if he is doing it right.... :) it's all good, i think everyone is perfectly 'normal' over there :):):)
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i think maybe your dh is just doing Dad style what we moms do - worrying if he is doing it right.... :)
Thanks Cherie, I think this is really what it comes down to.!!!
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I agree!
Has your DH a lot of experience with toddlers in general from before you had DS even? I think unless you 'know' a lot of toddlers or been around them alot, its really hard to know whats the norm. I think with my DH thats the issue, he just doesn't know what toddlers do and DD is his first hands on experience. So he does wonder if some of the things she does are just plain weird and appropriate and he needs reminding that toddlers are just working it all out.
I really do think you should be writing all these things down. Mini-mashi will get a kick out of them in the future!
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fwiw we write this stuff down and it is so so so fun to look back at, even 6 months later.
and for dh it might help him to tell him that ds is learning about social skills by exploring places with dark and light and acting them out with his favourite toys ... it may seem odd to us as grown ups but discouraging it (unless it is dangerous) may actually prolong it and turn it into something more than just a learning curve :)
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I think Cherie has hit the nail on the head.
And no, I wouldn't let my kids walk around town naked - but inside the house, with the curtains drawn, it's not something I stress about. If the social situation calls for something else, so be it, but the behavior itself, eh, I have bigger fish to fry. They're dressed in public and if not unfailingly polite at least not (usually ::)) overtly rude :-\, and while I have to keep them from playing hopscotch on the floor tiles at Whole Foods (which already has limited room for shoppers and carts ::)), they can do it at home to their hearts' content. But I'm not gonna stop them dancing naked in the house (or the backyard, come to that - we have a fence! :)). In other words, while this or that might not be OK in this or that context, if there IS a place to do it safely, I let 'em do it - and home is about as "safe" as it gets.
I guess I probably read too much into the way I read your DH's "raised eyebrow" disapproval. Didn't mean to imply that your DH doesn't love Mini-Mashi unconditionally, and sorry if it came across that way. But so far, nothing you've described about him here raises a red flag for me, and I have knee-jerk red-flag reactions a lot what with Josie's issues.
It's really hard when you're in a situation with limited social contact. With my kids and their energy and desire to explore, especially Nat's, I would have no choice but to get out there and if not mix and mingle with the Germans (it's my ancestral background, but personality-wise I'm as far from most of the native Germans I know IN Germany - Steggi excluded, of course! ;D - that THEY avoid ME! LOL), then seek out the expats just for my own sanity. But then again I'm double-teamed and outnumbered with two kids; things would be different if I had just the one, I'm sure! :)
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mashi...here's on for you to make you chuckle...once my brother came home and saw me feeding his son (about 15 months old, maybe) some yougurt.....and he made a face because "isn't yougurt kind of feminine?" ::) Oh yes, it is...I am just giving him this while I have a t-bone steak and oysters cooking on the grill. :P
DD, whenever dh takes off his socks, has full on conversation with his 2 big toes (which she calls Mama toe and Daddy toe)...she has even read books to them. I don't even care if it's "normal'...it's hilarious!!
A great comment my therapist once made when I asked her if something was normal....she said "It might not be 'normal' but it sure is common!"
Kids do the funniest things....and I too, want to play with mini-mashi...he sounds like a great kid!!! :-*
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Mashi-The car thing is not weird. I think it has to do with not knowing that they aren't living things. Ava seems to know that I "drive" a car or daddy "drives" his car or whatever, but when she sees other cars she thinks they are driving themselves...b/c WE aren't in them, yswim? So today when we crossed the street and a car stopped for us, I said "The car stopped to let us cross. What a nice car. Say thank you for stopping car" without realizing that I was continuing the confusion that cars aren't living things that DO things on their own but that people control them. I feel like it takes a LOT of time for toddlers to learn all these nuances of life and put it all together. So he could very well just think that animals, cars, people, are all things that DO things....like KISS! Makes sense to me!
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OK so for those of you who would like to play with DS, he's free today at 11am, Sunday afternoons from 3-6 and all day Monday. Kindly let me know when you will be arriving ;D
Nicole - it's the fact that he doesn't know they are not living things that is what worries" DH. BUT what I never stopped to realise is that I do what you do as well "OH look, a car, let's wave hello....hello car, hello!!!" and so on....so leading him even more to believe they aren't alive, never thought of that! LOL!. I'll have to tell DH that, I am sure he will find it amusing!
Love all of these stories about your other "weird" toddlers as well, making me feel much better!!!!!!!!!
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Tell your DH once he's TALLER he'll notice a lot more things that he doesn't notice now...like PEOPLE in the driver's seats of ALL cars LOL. :) So some of quirks will go by the wayside as he becomes more and more a little person and less and less a baby/toddler. hehehe :)
Ava thought I got new fingers when I put nailpolish on. It's all perspective.
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No time to read the other posts - by DS is 15 months old and every day when we go to my room for me to get dressed he goes and sits in our wardrobe too - I think they like the safe, enclosed space ... I think it is really cute. If they are still doing it when they are teenagers it may be time to worry ???
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oh this thread has made me laugh. thanks ladies.
i also think he sounds adorable and has quite an imagination. dd1 does a lot of the things you have described - she loves to sit in cubboards and dark places with or without a flashlight. loves forts too. she will tuck anything into bed and demand it goes to sleep, most often her dolls, but inanimate objects like all the spoons from the drawer, remote control (shhh it's sleeping, don't make noise) or her whisks (which were her favorite thing for about a month, she carted them everywhere and even slept with them, yes i mean kitchen whisks), shovels from a sand play kit she got are also a favorite to put to sleep. she has also hugged and kissed our car, not all cars, but ours she will. she talks to all animals and most things like they understand what she's saying and will get upset if they don't do what she tells them to do (she's a bit bossy...girl trait) - so if she demands that the squirrel come here so she can pet it but it doesn't she will get upset.
we were out in the garden the other day and she was pretending and said oh yes the birds are going to carry us away and save us...i think she actually believes some of this. she watches a bit of tv, especially dora. in these shows all the animals and a lot of objects (cars, planes etc) talk, have faces and act like people. she probably does think the birds will save her, and the cars are alive, they do on dora so why not in life.
anyway, i think it's normal toddler behavior, he has a great imagination that most adults suppress and is just learning about his world around him. i would encourage it.
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I was very tempted to take a pic of Ellie half in the closet this am and post it Mashi. She can't fully shut the doors as we have internal drawers! But it's not just mimi-mashi!