This is my first child, so I am unsure what to expect.
My daughter is 2.5 years old. She is very bright for her age (I am told) and loves to learn. She is sweet and kind, speaks well (but sometimes I think her brain goes faster than her mouth and we have to beg her to slow down! haha!) and is a very good kid in general. But...
for about 6-8 months now, she seems very into her own world. She will play for hours by herself, acting out imiginary scenarios, some she has seen on TV, some she makes up. When she is doing this, it is really hard to get her to pay attention for anything. It is like you can't bring her out of her world sometimes...not even to answer a question. She loves to count, music, sing, dance, ect. Is it normal at this age to be that wrapped up in her "acting"?
Thanks guys!!! I figured it was normal, but you just wondered sometimes. I never thought (well not truely....) that she had autisum, she speaks too well. I just wasn't sure if she was normal! LOL!! Good to know that she is just like other 2 year olds!!
Hello E.,
It is very normal for kids to go through an imaginary friend stage. Although, as a teacher, it is a little concerning that she will not respond to you when you call her. Not to scare you, talk with her pediatrician, or perhaps have her evaluated by a child study center, if they can do that, and see what might could be behind these imaginary times.
I hope this helps, and I hope I am not way off.
M.
I couldn't agree more with the other mom's. SHE'S NORMAL! We had the same issue with out oldest one. We had a code word. When it was time for her to pay attention to us, we would say, somewhat loud, ATTEN- HUH!. My hubby was in the military, so she learned very early that when you heard that, it meant business. Talk to your daughter and see if that would work, maybe not OUR code word, but your own. Good luck and keep us posted!
B.
I too believe she is behaving normal for her age. My first child was very near the same way. I sure hope somebody has not scared you into wondering if she might be autistic. My son's daycare did that to me and he is a perfectly normal five year old now. Too many people know just enough about things to be dangerous. I have run into so many people who try to diagnose, catagorize, and label kids that I have to stop myself from responding as rudely as their unqualified asumptions.
At her age I believe that she is just very creative and this is her special personality. I have 4 daughters and 1 of them loved to sing, narrate our day and make up stories. Another one of my daughters is crazy, whacky, hyper, emotional, and silly. She also happens to be adhd, but we managed to keep her off of meds and she is almost grown and doing well. Your daughter reminds me of this daughter that has ADHD. She too is very creative and self absorbed.
I think you should just enjoy her! Life will beat some of this out of her as she grows up. Try and let her keep her creativity for as long as possible.
Suzi
sounds like she's very imaginative and creative...thats great. Its great that she can play by herself, but I agree with sitting down with her and explaining that she needs to respond when she is asked a question. In general though, I think she's just being a normal 2 1 /2 year old kiddo!!!
It sounds to me like she's developing a very strong imagination, which is great! My girls zone when they watch TV (they don't watch much of it, but when they do, they're hooked). I would talk to her and help her understand that when Mommy or Daddy are talking to her, she must look at your eyes immdediately. At that age they're also so involved in what they're doing, and having fun with it, they don't want to stop. Role play with her and have her practice looking at you. Also, make sure she's getting time with other kiddos around her age so she can get used to the idea of others in her world as she's playing. Maybe it'll broaden her world and she'll be more aware of what's going on around her.
I have always heard that a child who can play by themselves is extremely intelligent. They don't need someone else or a tv to "entertain" them. She's not doing anything wrong - think of the important things ... does she listen to you when you tell her to stop before running out in the street? if so, relax. you are doing fine.
You have nothing to fear. We signed up with Parents as Teachers when our daughter was born and they told us when she turned 3 that playing by herself and doing the same things your little girl is doing is perfectly fine. It shows she is using her imagination and being creative. it actually helps to increase their thinking power as they grow. Don't worry E., she's fine :)
Hi E.,
Sounds like you have a very bright child, but you probably already know that. She may be a little more intelligent than you think. At her 3 yr well-check you may talk to the doctor. Acting out scenes from tv shows is pretty interesting at 2 1/2. My son has been doing it since 2, but usually when he's watching a movie he's seen a few times. Like dancing like the Oompa-Loompa's on Charlie and the Chocolate Factory or Scooby Doo. Pretty fun to watch! Have fun with her and act them out with her, it creates some really fun memories! Even video tape some of those times if you can, kids love to watch themselves on video too.
