mo2 Posted November 17, 2008 Share Posted November 17, 2008 My 6yo likes to pretend that she is a dog. Running around on all fours, barking, etc. My husband and I disagree on whether or not this is okay. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Remudamom Posted November 17, 2008 Share Posted November 17, 2008 Is she housebroke? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
drama_mama Posted November 17, 2008 Share Posted November 17, 2008 my 7 yr old daughter does this, she also growls when meeting someone new if she feels awkward about it. It is silly but seems to be a phase, my older daughter did the same exact thing at 6-7 yrs old. I think it is fine and normal use of their imagination and I do nothing to stop it. It is sometimes embarrassing like when we went to the pediatrician and she refused to speak but found it ok to growl and bark...lol Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Renee in NC Posted November 17, 2008 Share Posted November 17, 2008 Is she housebroke? :lol::lol::lol: My 6yo thinks he is a bear! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
hornblower Posted November 17, 2008 Share Posted November 17, 2008 It's normal! It just reminded me of the Stephanie Plum series by Janet Evanovich. Her niece pretends she's a horse...... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Remudamom Posted November 17, 2008 Share Posted November 17, 2008 :lol::lol::lol: My 6yo thinks he is a bear! Well, we all know what wild bears do in the woods! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Closeacademy Posted November 17, 2008 Share Posted November 17, 2008 It is perfectly normal. My dd has spent much of her young life as a kitten. A very loud one too. Who knew that cats meowed so loudly? She also likes to be a unicorn and a pegasus at times too. Sometimes the stuffed animals get involved and they have a pet "store" and the children are animals as well.:001_smile: Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Julie in CA Posted November 17, 2008 Share Posted November 17, 2008 Totally normal, though I didn't allow my dc to do it in social situations where it might make other people feel awkward. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
abbeyej Posted November 17, 2008 Share Posted November 17, 2008 Many, many kids do this. If she can and will stop when you tell her, "this is not an appropriate time", then I wouldn't worry about it at all. I would only be concerned if this appeared to be a necessary coping mechanism for over stimulation (if she does it more in public when she's overwhelmed and can't find other ways of dealing with stress), or if she seems unable of stopping when necessary. ("Necessary" might mean in public where it's inappropriate, or even at home if she's just making one of her parents crazy.) If it's just part of her pretend play, I think it's a-okay and totally normal. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
homeschoolmomtutu Posted November 17, 2008 Share Posted November 17, 2008 Is she housebroke? :lol::lol: I actually used to let my ds lap from a bowl like a pup when he went through his "puppy" stage ... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ChemMommy Posted November 17, 2008 Share Posted November 17, 2008 She builds jumps and "practices" her skills. She even whinnies like a horse! I think it's okay that your dd thinks and acts like a dog--just an healthy and creative imagination. My dd did the dog thing first, btw. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mo2 Posted November 17, 2008 Author Share Posted November 17, 2008 Is she housebroke? :lol::lol::lol: Yes. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mo2 Posted November 17, 2008 Author Share Posted November 17, 2008 OK thanks. I thought it was okay. She has a very active imagination. It drives hubby nuts, and he tells her things like "People are going to think you're weird or crazy." :001_huh: Since when do we care what people think? Also, she only does it at home, not in public. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jean in Newcastle Posted November 17, 2008 Share Posted November 17, 2008 My dd6 is a kitty cat. It is partly a cute thing she likes to do. It is partly a defense mechanism when she has to meet people she doesn't know. We are working on being a person and saying "hello" to people. But for play she can be a kitty as much as she wants! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rich with Kids Posted November 17, 2008 Share Posted November 17, 2008 My 2 youngest dd are horses. Yes, it's weird. Normal, but weird. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
runningirl71 Posted November 17, 2008 Share Posted November 17, 2008 All my kids have gone through the "puppy" stage. I don't remember doing this as a child, but my MIL has some great stories of when dh used to do this! He would get under the table after dinner and act like a puppy, even when company was over! :tongue_smilie: Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jean in Newcastle Posted November 17, 2008 Share Posted November 17, 2008 Oh - I just remembered. When my dd11 was 6 years old someone asked me if he was in the puppy or kitty stage. Well no - he used to pretend to be a protozoa! (He'd curl around his food to absorb it, pretend to split apart etc.) Now that was weird! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Daisy Posted November 17, 2008 Share Posted November 17, 2008 LOL. Totally normal. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
myfunnybunch Posted November 17, 2008 Share Posted November 17, 2008 Another vote for TOTALLY normal. My boys play "puppies" with the neighbor kids, and I have to remember all of their names. Cat Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
teamturner Posted November 17, 2008 Share Posted November 17, 2008 My now 7 yo dd has been doing this since she was 5 or 6 yo. It was cute at first but it drives me crazy now. I get embaressed when she does it in public but deep down I don't think there's anything really wrong with it. My dd will actually stick her tongue out and pant like a dog. It's really bad when she does it in the winter because her lower lip area gets really chapped and it looks bad. (Makes it hard to get a nice Christmas picture for our Christmas card :confused:) At least I've broken her habit of leaving out bowls of water on the kitchen floor for her doggy bowl. They always get knocked over. Oh, and she's teaching my younger dd this doggie thing. They will eventually grow up and become teenagers and young women and I can look back on these sweet, creative playtimes as distant memories. They grow up fast. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Remudamom Posted November 17, 2008 Share Posted November 17, 2008 She builds jumps and "practices" her skills. She even whinnies like a horse! My friends and I were still doing this in the fourth grade. Lots of us. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RJH Posted November 17, 2008 Share Posted November 17, 2008 DD4 is a different animal each day. She has been doing this since age 2. She loves animals! She has been a dog, cat, unicorn, dinosaur, mouse, and countless exotic animals that she sees on the discovery channel or Diego. I don't see her growing out of it anytime soon, so I hope it's normal.:lol: Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RoughCollie Posted November 17, 2008 Share Posted November 17, 2008 (edited) My DD was a dog for awhile. It was a nice break from her being a dinosaur (her first love). She only did it at home and in front of family. I wish I could turn back time, because now she acts like a "dog" too much -- and it isn't a puppy, if you get my drift. Edited November 17, 2008 by RoughCollie Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Scarlett Posted November 17, 2008 Share Posted November 17, 2008 My 6yo likes to pretend that she is a dog. Running around on all fours, barking, etc. My husband and I disagree on whether or not this is okay. My ds will be 9 soon and he still does it. He has been since he was 5 or 6. Drives. dh. absolutely nuts. He doesn't believe any other kids have ever done this. :D Lots of things drive dhs nuts I notice. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Kanga Posted November 17, 2008 Share Posted November 17, 2008 My dc pretended to do this when they were 5-6 yo. I put a bowl of water and a bowl of cheerios on the floor for their water and dog food. They grew out of this when my dd was 7 and started acting like a horses. I set up intricate jumping patterns for them in the backyard and called it p.e. When she was 10, I took my dd to the local track team and asked if she could try out as a hurdler. They had reservations because she was so tiny. I reassured the coaches that she could clear higher jumps than those (I didn't tell them how I knew) and after moving the jumps to the infield in case she fell they let her try out. Needless to say, she made the team. At the first race my dh leaned over and asked, "so is she going to run like a horse or a human?" :lol: She is now a very well adjusted college student. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Harriet Vane Posted November 17, 2008 Share Posted November 17, 2008 Both of my kids have done this at different times. I generally play along and play fetch with them or pet them. It's just a game and a good use of imagination. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
LizzyBee Posted November 17, 2008 Share Posted November 17, 2008 My 6yo likes to pretend that she is a dog. Running around on all fours, barking, etc. My husband and I disagree on whether or not this is okay. When my older kids were either 4 and 2 or 5 and 3 yo, they wanted a dog, so the older one trained the younger one to be one. :lol: One day, the younger one wouldn't eat her breakfast unless dh set it on the floor. That's where he drew the line and said no way. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Nicole M Posted November 17, 2008 Share Posted November 17, 2008 One day my youngest came into the kitchen to tell me, "Let's pretend you're the mommy kitty and I'm the baby kitty pretending to be a froggy. Ribbit-MEOW! Ribbit-MEOW!" Mostly he was just a froggy, though. That was when he was 5-ish. To the OP, I'm sorry your husband is embarrassed about this. I hope he can get over it and just enjoy this phase. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
EKS Posted November 17, 2008 Share Posted November 17, 2008 Normal. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
sassenach Posted November 17, 2008 Share Posted November 17, 2008 Oh - I just remembered. When my dd11 was 6 years old someone asked me if he was in the puppy or kitty stage. Well no - he used to pretend to be a protozoa! (He'd curl around his food to absorb it, pretend to split apart etc.) Now that was weird! :lol::lol::lol: Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SquirrellyMama Posted November 17, 2008 Share Posted November 17, 2008 My children are all sort of animals. Cats, dogs, horses, mice, etc... It is normal. I also don't allow it in public and i don't let them eat like animals. kelly Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Paula in PA Posted November 17, 2008 Share Posted November 17, 2008 Is she housebroke? I have a niece, now 28, who played doggie when she was about 2. She was definitely not housebroken! :lol: She's never quite lived that one down. My dd does play cat a lot, and sometimes dog. But she is litter-trained / housebroke, thank goodness. :D Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tree House Academy Posted November 17, 2008 Share Posted November 17, 2008 My 5 year old ds has just recently lost his fascination with pretending he is a cat. Meow. Totally normal. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Alice Posted November 17, 2008 Share Posted November 17, 2008 My 5 yr old likes to be a dog also. He ties a leash around his waist and tries to get the 2 yr old to walk him. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mommy22alyns Posted November 17, 2008 Share Posted November 17, 2008 My girls love to play animals! Usually it's Becca getting Sylvia to be a puppy or something but Becca will also play horse and Sylvia will "ride" her around the house. No kidding. :lol: Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RhondaM. Posted November 17, 2008 Share Posted November 17, 2008 My 6yo likes to pretend that she is a dog. Running around on all fours, barking, etc. My husband and I disagree on whether or not this is okay. Totally normal. But one word of advice. When you take her to the post office, put her on a leash and keep her next to you so that 'your puppy' does not smell the other customer's butts. Now ask me how I know to give out that wonderful piece of advice. :D Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
AnnetteB Posted November 17, 2008 Share Posted November 17, 2008 One year two of our boys pretended they were reindeer and "hitched" themselves to the Christmas tree with the lightstrings...and pulled the tree over! :glare: I acted like a racehorse well through elementary school. All of our kids "fetch" better than our dog. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
texascamps Posted November 17, 2008 Share Posted November 17, 2008 Ummmm, When our kids were young we used to pretend they were dogs for play. We had them all able to sit, shake, speak, stay, fetch (socks and stuff) roll over, and play dead. We also put treats on their nose and made them hold it until we snapped our fingers, just like with our real dog. We'd have them do tricks through a hoola hoop. We did this act many times for family. They stop thinking its fun around age 8. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
anissarobert Posted November 17, 2008 Share Posted November 17, 2008 My 4yo pretends to be a dog named "Salad". (Believe me I don't know where she got that.) My other two give her treats and have her shake her paw etc. :D Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Recommended Posts
Join the conversation
You can post now and register later. If you have an account, sign in now to post with your account.