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Weird kid stages


bethben
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My family wants to know if other families go through these stages of "development".  Each of my children has done this with no knowledge of the other child doing the same.  Here are the stages each of my children have gone through.  There is 4 years difference between the second two and 2 1/2 years difference with the last one.  She was adopted at 2 1/2 so she missed seeing the first stage.

 

1.  The tape stage.  Everything has to be taped.  They go through spools and spools of tape to the point that I make them purchase their own because it gets ridiculous.  

 

2.  The string stage.  They find a ball of string or yarn and everything is tied together.  I come into the kitchen to find a maze of string with all the chairs tied together at some point.  They have to make it so that you can't get in their room without going under string.  There is string going up the stairs like a map to get out of a dark tunnel...Each child has done this.

 

3.  The cardboard cutting stage.  For some reason cardboard is so appealing and they must make something from it.  My 2nd child made weapons, the next child made boxes and other contraptions, my 4th child is making giant horses.  

 

4.  Finally, the logo stage.  #2 child made a logo for his name on the computer and now child #3 has done the same.  For some reason, they feel the need to brand themselves.  Child #4 has not gotten old enough to make herself a logo so we shall see when she turns 12 to see if that is a trend also.  I had no idea that making a logo to set yourself apart from everyone else was a trend, but it has become so.  

 

It's not like these trends overlap.  As in one kid does it and the next month, the next child does it.  There are years between these stages for each of them.  Enough time to forget about the stage.  

 

So, is this a normal family thing?  Do your kids have these stages also?

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Maybe it is a parenting stage.....

 

The kid is bored and finds tape...mom allows the child to use up said roll of tape, at an attempt to get the child to entertain themselves for 5 minutes, with something the mom can justify as "sensory play".

 

Then the kid finds string and the mom declares it "intro to physics day" so the child will once again, do something other than say "Im bored" twenty times a day.

 

Boxes...that is the mom's own nostalgia and she declares it  "spacial awareness, creative play and sensory play all in one.  And BONUS engineering !!  (trains and mechanical!! LOL)" 

 

 

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My kids are simultaneously in stages 1-3. Oldest never went through any of them though, now that you mention it.

 

 I currently buy tape in bulk. A friend of mine came over a few weeks ago and I heard her telling her daughters (ages 5 & 7) "I will stop and buy you some tape on the way home!" I handed them each a roll of Scotch Tape and you would've thought I gave them a million dollars. So yes. Definitely have seen this! I guess I can look forward to the logo stage. 

Edited by texasmom33
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Can we add a stage, or is this just my teen? Drawing incredibly intricate art designs on one's hands with a Sharpie while sitting listening to classes, be they in person or online. 

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My boys have definitely done the tape, string, and box phases - but they are pretty much still in the tape & box phase, especially ds#2. (He was making a go cart model from a cardboard box, aluminum cans, and bits & pieces in our garage. If the zombies come, I want this kid on my side. He makes the craziest things.)

 

DD#1 does the marker-on-self thing. But, she's also done the color-your-hair-with-markers thing. Yes, that's my high schooler.  :coolgleamA:

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Yep. All of them.

 

And don't forget the Rube Goldberg stage. Not sure that ever ended.

 

There have also been long facepaint stages [shudder] which led to special effect stages. We are currently in a film everything, cosplay stage. Building with those foam floor mats is The Thing now. (Save me, someone.)

Edited by Spryte
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Oh man we have been through the tape stage. My oldest seems to be the only one that goes through odd phases though. My second only goes through norma l things like cars, trains, dinos whatever. My oldest does and always has done odd things. Like he really has never played with toys much. He just likes to play with stuff. Ds 2 loves his toys. dd seems to be more like my oldest.

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What about the stage where they pretend to be animals, in particular dogs (or cats), and crawl around all over the house until the skin is literally worn off their knees? Two of mine stayed in this stage for way too long. You would think the painful knees would have deterred them, but no.

 

The tape stage is one of my favorites; for a cheap price, they can get hours of fun.

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We've done all four of them.  The first three have been ongoing for the past couple of years, they got their own rolls of duct tape for Christmas and I keep a dozen refill rolls of scotch tape around.  The box/cardboard part is limited to when we have boxes in the house but they will settle for tissue boxes if necessary.

 

The logo has been around for a while and changes periodically.  Dd like to make them self-portraits or furry animals, while ds does squids (his self-given nickname is Squidy), or an anthropomorphic ice cream cone that he writes comic strips about.

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The only one I can say one of my kids went through was the tape stage  - and that was only if he couldn't find a Band-Aid. Seriously.

There's a song called "I Think I Need a Band-Aid" by the singing duo Trout Fishing in America (yes, that's what they call themselves)

and it SO applies to my son for a couple of years of his life! If he couldn't find a Band-Aid for whatver minor cut was on his finger, he'd

get a piece of toilet paper, or Kleenex, wrap it around the appendage (usually always his finger) and fasten it with Scotch tape! 

 

And making up super heroes to tell me about it! There was a period of about a year where I think he made up a new one every other day or so.

Wish I'd written those down!

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I was going to say that we have only had the tape phase (there is never any tape around here!), and that one child had the string phase. He used to tie miscellaneous things behind his bike and pull them along.

 

But today two of my kids walked through the room and said something about the logos they made this morning. And then they made multiple copies and put them at everyone's place at the table. :laugh:

 

One of them also needed tape today for whatever they are up to.

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My kids have also gone through the acting out favorite movies stage (the original Beauty and the Beast was re-enacted many times when they were younger).

 

And the making a book stage, where they staple two dozen pieces of paper together, then only write on the first few pages, wasting all of the rest. One of my kids was more prolific, though, and we have a stack of stories and comic books that he made a few years back. I remember going through this phase myself when I was a child.

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And the making a book stage, where they staple two dozen pieces of paper together, then only write on the first few pages, wasting all of the rest. One of my kids was more prolific, though, and we have a stack of stories and comic books that he made a few years back. I remember going through this phase myself when I was a child.

 

With a name like "Storygirl," I'm not surprised!  :lol:

 

And yes, my kids do the staple-lots-of-pages-together stage.

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What about the stage where they pretend to be animals, in particular dogs (or cats), and crawl around all over the house until the skin is literally worn off their knees? Two of mine stayed in this stage for way too long. You would think the painful knees would have deterred them, but no.

 

The tape stage is one of my favorites; for a cheap price, they can get hours of fun.

 

Oh this was so my oldest when she was younger!!!!  When she was 7 I got called to the school for a meeting with her teacher because she was pretending to be a cat during circle time or whatever they called it. 

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