[dilgra]

Tati has always had quite an imagination in play and story telling ( example:at just two y/o making up a story about a purple fuzzy praying manitis chasing 2 owls down the stairs ) you get the idea.

anyway, it seems to have gotten much worse lately. for the last couple of weeks, after she takes a few bites of something like a slice of cheese, crackers or apple slices, she says they look like various critters (some common ones are cats, polar bears, snowmen, snakes, alligators and moose). She becomes almost afraid of the food item, hands it to me and asks me to eat the head, tail , foot or whatever and then she will usually take it back and finish it. I don't think she is doing it to get out of eating since it is always done with something she likes to eat and has never been a really picky eater. she is very serious and does not appear to be playing a game when she "sees" these things.

Anyone else have a toddler with these traits? Do you think it is just a phase or should I be concerned about what kind of food I put in her school lunch box one day?

I will say, she has had several "imaginary" friends that she plays with for several months but they are never scary.

[Devora]

I don't think it's possible to have an "overactive" imagination. Her imagination sounds wonderful! It's completely normal for kids to imagine scary things in the way you described. It's part of how they develop a sense of mastery over things in real-life that frighten them or cause anxiety.

Until you're told by her teacher that there's a problem with lunch, I wouldn't worry about what you put in her lunchbox.

[angieandstever]

My daughter who is 28 months has a similar imagination. She is always making up things about people and what they did. She also has imaginary friends and even imaginary pet animals. She pets them, walks them, feeds them, etc.

I would say this is normal behavior and it is great she has such a good imagination!!! I wouldn't worry about lunch either! Keep doing what you are doing! She sounds like a bright girl

[jules17]

Sam has been doing this with his food for about 8 months...although it usually involves "building" a tunnel for his imaginary train with food or something equally not scary.

He will say "I am scared, Mommy" at times that I wouldn't expect it. We just talk through it. I ask him, "Do you feel better now...about xyz?" And he will say, "Yes, better, Mommy" or not...in which case, we talk some more.

I would love to hear some of your daughter's stories - they sound fantastic!!

[shelbydog]

I think every kid has his/her quirk. My son was obsessed with vacuums when he was little - I mean OBSESSED. Most kids would walk into a pizza place gazing at the pizza. My son would be looking over the counter to see if they had a vacuum. He could spot a vacuum handle a mile away. We have pictures of him hugging our Oreck! Seriously. We were SO worried about it. He grew out of it and at age 6, is perfectly fine!

One of his little friends had a weird aversion to breakfast. Even the mere smell or conversation about breakfast would make her gag. She wouldn't eat breakfast, couldn't be in the same room. She is also 6 now and completely fine.

I wouldn't worry at all. It sounds like yours has a wonderful imagination!!

[dilgra]

[quote=shelbydog]I think every kid has his/her quirk. My son was obsessed with vacuums when he was little - I mean OBSESSED. Most kids would walk into a pizza place gazing at the pizza. My son would be looking over the counter to see if they had a vacuum. He could spot a vacuum handle a mile away. We have pictures of him hugging our Oreck! Seriously. We were SO worried about it. He grew out of it and at age 6, is perfectly fine!

One of his little friends had a weird aversion to breakfast. Even the mere smell or conversation about breakfast would make her gag. She wouldn't eat breakfast, couldn't be in the same room. She is also 6 now and completely fine.



ha ha, that cracks me up! umm the funny thing is, Tati has a thing for our vacuum too! she consoles it when I am changing the bag our trying to unclog the thing. and yes, hugs & kisses it too! I am glad to know she is not the only one

[sak9645]

My daughter was totally obsessed with stuffed animals. She had an amazing number of them. They all had names. They all had stories.

One day, Brownie would be crying because he had to go to the doctor for shots. Another day, Brown Bear would hit Doggy Woof Woof. On another day, a group of animals would go to school and learn to write.

Becca always knew fact from fiction. She never tried to convince other people that the animals were real. But she was extremely happy when someone would play along with her fantasy and ask something like, "Did Brownie get over her cold?" or "Doggy Woof Woof looks sad today. What happened?"

At times, Becca used the animals to think out -- or signal -- her own concerns, like going to the doctor or dealing with a problem with another child. But at other times, she simply was enjoying creative play with her animals.

Interestingly, Becca is now 13, and STILL loves her animals. She doesn't have fantasies any more, but she gets very mad if the dog steals Strawberry, the most recently added bear in her collection, or Wrigley, the squirrel she got in Montana. She still likes to cuddle up with them, and still sleeps with them in her bed.

Becca is about the most balanced 13 year old around, and totally age appropriate in every way. She is very mature in her behavior, and very advanced in her schoolwork. But she loves those animals, and my assumption is that she'll take several of them -- including a few that date from her toddler days and are raggedy and noseless -- off to college with her.

Most of Becca's girlfriends also have stuffed animals they love, name, and so on. And when Becca was about 11, I discovered, because of a school overnight trip to New York, that many of the boys also still had favorite stuffed animals that had to accompany them. But Becca probably had the most serious obsession with her stuffed animals of any kid I have ever met.

Sharon

[maisy]

I would give anything if my almost two year olds could say any of the things your daughter says! It all sounds normal to me and given my two, advanced. Mine aren't really talking at all and speech therapy doesn't seem to be helping much. Be thankful you have such an imaginative and expressive child.

[JosieWales]

My son does the exact same thing! He bites his 'nugget chickens' and then says they look like dinosaurs, etc. Sometimes he looks a bit fearful of them, too. He talks about dinosaurs and gorillas and 'big guys' and says they are chasing us and we fell in the water, and so on.

I think at this age they are learning about things in the world that can be scary, and how to deal w/fears, plus they are at an age where imaginations are developing like crazy. They are learning to distinguish btwn imagination and reality.

So IMHO, your DD sounds very normal!