Talkative bookworm

[Mum to cool dude]

DS is the son of two bookworms and the grandson of another two, so perhaps no great surprise that he loves his books. He has been speaking well since 1.5 year old and is now constantly vocal

He seems to have a rich imagination and is like a little sponge when it comes to stories, either from books or from TV programmes. His memory is good and he remembers bits of his favourite books after a couple of reads.

He's currently talking NON STOP and quoting sentences he has learnt to an extent that is starting to worry me. I try to maintain a dialogue by picking up on what he is saying and relating it to reality. I worry that perhaps he's spending too much time in his imaginary world and cutting himself off from reality. He goes to nursery every day so it's not as if he's compensating for a lack of playmates.

I notice that he played with two other children last weekend and when he did, there was no babbling, so perhaps it's a case of him keeping his mind amused when not totally focused. He does talk when playing, even when doing puzzles, which I would think would require some concentration

Please tell me that this is normal

[lawnseed]

Hello:)

You don't say how old he is, but he sounds a lot like my little girl - she does not stop talking from morning to night!! Also speaking really early. I think a lot of it is just learning and this is the age for rich imaginations - I think developmentally from about 2 til 7 (i'm a bit rusty - could be less!) this is called the magical age - they attribute personalities to many things, they can develop imaginary friends. I always look at my dd's talking as her way of processing - she too is quiet when among her peers, but talks all the time when on her own - one of my favoutite things is listening to her when she's gone to bed! If he's busy all day he could also just be downloading his day by chattering at the end of it. I don't think you've anything to worry about and a lot to enjoy!! I'm convinced we have fewer tantrums as dds verbal skills are so advanced!!

HTH!
Lorna xx

[RachelC]

My dd1 does not stop talking (the reason my dd2 is not talking  )  She talked very early on and will talk to herself through every activity (coloring, painting, getting dressed, using the potty, puzzles.... EVERYTHING!).  And imagination... she runs with it.  We recently read Charlie and the Chocolate Factory and she now creates stories based on those characters.  Imagination is a good thing and is a sign of intelligence (yup, my dd1 is reading at least 3 years beyond herself  )

I would say, "totally normal"