Do your kids get obsessed about things?

[Nestof3]

Meaning, when they find something they are interested in, do they get completely into it?

 

When Nathan finds something he is interested in, he becomes completely immersed in it. If it's a book, he has to type up pages of it, he draws maps and pictures of it, he acts it out, he talks about it -- incessantly. It can be African animals, Wind in the Willows, The Tailor of Gloucester, etc.

 

Well, today he told kids at church that he believed in fairies and brownies. He doesn't really -- he just likes to pretend that they are real. (He's been reading Spiderwick Chronicles). He always liked learning about things like minotaurs and such from Narnia as well.

 

Then on the way home, he said he believed in magic. My husband explained to him that magic isn't real/good. He said, "Haven't you ever seen the magic of a flower bud opening?"

 

Any experience with kids like this?

[Mabeline]

Yup, my 6ds is like this. He will sing any song to go with whatever he is interested in. He will act it out and even make lego creations about it. He is also enjoying the Spiderwick Chronicles. Usually this lasts about two or three weeks until a new obsession comes around. I enjoy it and even help him out by getting more books about the subject at the library. I consider it his own unit study. :-)

[kalanamak]

This week we have "Flounder", a plastic lizard called that because it is rather flat. Flounder was found in the woods, has a sarcophagus and an elaborate bedtime ritual, loves going to museums, has clothes, gets scared during stories without warning and burrows unexpectedly up my sleeve, has to go on fly hunts regularly or it "gets weak". Flounder is a female, but is not old enough to lay eggs, but I know that will be coming soon. Heaven forbid if Flounder is misplaced or sat on or if you are too tired to listen to Flounder stories.

 

At least Flounder is small....

Edited November 3, 2008 by kalanamak

[tibbyl]

Meaning, when they find something they are interested in, do they get completely into it?

 

When Nathan finds something he is interested in, he becomes completely immersed in it. If it's a book, he has to type up pages of it, he draws maps and pictures of it, he acts it out, he talks about it -- incessantly. It can be African animals, Wind in the Willows, The Tailor of Gloucester, etc.

 

Well, today he told kids at church that he believed in fairies and brownies. He doesn't really -- he just likes to pretend that they are real. (He's been reading Spiderwick Chronicles). He always liked learning about things like minotaurs and such from Narnia as well.

 

Then on the way home, he said he believed in magic. My husband explained to him that magic isn't real/good. He said, "Haven't you ever seen the magic of a flower bud opening?"

 

Any experience with kids like this?

 

I am not quite sure what you are looking for, but I would not consider what you described as obsession. One of my children enriched his life by engaging in lively imaginative fantasy thinking and play for quite sometime. Another child had a passing interest in cryptozoology which fizzled out as she sought out objectively verifiable evidence for existence of certain creatures. When they would ask if I believed in whatever, I usually replied with something like, "It is fun to think about."

 

In light of the flower bud remark, I suspect that he is using the word "magic" in a much more generic sense than you are, perhaps to be mean something which elicits awe and appreciation of mystery. I am assuming that he has a basic understanding of the science behind opening of bud.

If not, I would forego the admonition that magic is not good and instead objectively and matter-of-factly explain the scientific process to him in terms he can understand.

 

Indeed we still engage in fantasies. One of our favorite games is what superpower would you choose and how would you use to make positive contribution to world.

Edited November 3, 2008 by tibbyl

[Heather in Neverland]

Yup. Pretty much anything my oldest ds gets interested in becomes an obsession. Some phases last longer than others. He is a very intense child and I love that quality in him!

[Nestof3]

I am assuming that he has a basic understanding of the science behind opening of bud.

 

 

Yes, he is a pretty knowledgeable child. He's also my highly verbally gifted child.

 

I actually like how intense he becomes about things -- how full of interests he is and how creative he is. I think his imagination is a fabulous thing to have.

 

He also becomes intense about real things -- making field guides, studying nature, and right now learning all of the state abbreviations.

 

I was sort of wondering about others' experiences here, as I have also come across people who take it, in my opinion, far too seriously. To them. it is a bad thing to pretend that something that is not true is real.

[Rosie_0801]

I wonder if it is a boy thing. My dh is like this. He's on a Latin learning kick at present and keeps talking to dd (19 months) in Latin. It's a dead language in that no one learns it as a first language, and dh seems intent on changing that. So dd is coping three different languages at the moment. Ah well, she doesn't seem to mind. It's better than having a dh with no interests...

:)

Rosie

[Alphabetika]

When my dd was 9, she read the entire Lord of the Rings trilogy 3 times in succession. For about two years, LoTR was her world. She has also had "obsessive" musical interests ever since she was a preschooler. Like you, I enjoy this trait in her. Homeschooling has allowed her to develop it and I love that.