Do you encourage make believe?

[Maza]

I've made a big stupid parenting mistake. DD is 7 (yr 2) and still believes in FC, tooth fairy and Easter bunny. She is still very attached to her cuddly toys and plays with them a lot. All fine, and we love the fact that she does/believes all of his - keeping the magic/innocence alive for that bit longer etc etc.

One of her favourite toys is a cat called 'Emerald'. It's a calico cat, so quite unusual, but life like. The other day I saw a toy kitten, identical to it and I couldn't resist buying it. I popped it in the cat basket and it evolved into a game/belief that Emerald had had a kitten. Today, she has taken both cats in for 'Show and Tell' and I feel awful, and can't believe that I am bringing her up to be gullible. I tried to play it down on the way to school, by mentioning how they were toys etc etc.

It's really playing on my mind. I hope that her class mates don't make fun of her and also, in the long run, I need to encourage her to question what people say and not just believe what she is told. I feel like such a stupid fool and think that I encouraged this cat/kitten story for my own benefit - because I thought it was a cute scenario, rather than thinking about whether or not it was detrimental/patronising to her.

What are your thoughts on make believe play?

[FussyElmo]

I've made a big stupid parenting mistake. DD is 7 (yr 2) and still believes in FC, tooth fairy and Easter bunny. She is still very attached to her cuddly toys and plays with them a lot. All fine, and we love the fact that she does/believes all of his - keeping the magic/innocence alive for that bit longer etc etc.

One of her favourite toys is a cat called 'Emerald'. It's a calico cat, so quite unusual, but life like. The other day I saw a toy kitten, identical to it and I couldn't resist buying it. I popped it in the cat basket and it evolved into a game/belief that Emerald had had a kitten. Today, she has taken both cats in for 'Show and Tell' and I feel awful, and can't believe that I am bringing her up to be gullible. I tried to play it down on the way to school, by mentioning how they were toys etc etc.

It's really playing on my mind. I hope that her class mates don't make fun of her and also, in the long run, I need to encourage her to question what people say and not just believe what she is told. I feel like such a stupid fool and think that I encouraged this cat/kitten story for my own benefit - because I thought it was a cute scenario, rather than thinking about whether or not it was detrimental/patronising to her.

What are your thoughts on make believe play?

I think you will be surprised and I'm betting your dd knows full well it's not really a kitten but is enjoying the story as much as you.

Make believe play us very important if children lose the ability to be imaginative then will our painter writers inventors etc come from.

[Mouse]

Parenting is so tough at times, isn't it?

I can remember many times when I've told my children something, they've believed it (or gone along with it), then I've panicked and thought I've got to tell them the truth before they make a fool of themselves. The majority of the times I'd say "you do know it's not real, don't you?" and they'd say "of course mum, I'm not stupid!"

Seven is a tricky age when it comes to them working out what's real and what's not. When she comes out of school you'll know whether or not she's believed you. Is she has and has told people her toy cat has had a kitten, I bet you'll find half the kids in the class believe it as well. She certainly won't be the only one. Imaginative play and make believe are so important. Maybe now just check before a game is over that she has understood it's not real

[BallyH]

Oh Maza being a parent is so damn hard. The 7yr old girls I mind would love your scenario and imagination also. I'm always questioning myself as a mum as to whether I'm doing the correct thing but imagination and make believe is everywhere. Don't you think it helps us get on with everyday life. When my youngest, 13 years, is on the ps4 he gets very engrossed and thinks he's the footballer in Fifa. I think it is good to have a great imagination, hopefully it will help when life gets mundane and we can imagine better scenarios. Your daughter, with time and growth, will realise the difference between real and not. Let her enjoy it for the moment before reality checks in. And you, as her mum, enjoy her sweetness.

[FussyElmo]

I've made a big stupid parenting mistake. DD is 7 (yr 2) and still believes in FC, tooth fairy and Easter bunny. She is still very attached to her cuddly toys and plays with them a lot. All fine, and we love the fact that she does/believes all of his - keeping the magic/innocence alive for that bit longer etc etc.

One of her favourite toys is a cat called 'Emerald'. It's a calico cat, so quite unusual, but life like. The other day I saw a toy kitten, identical to it and I couldn't resist buying it. I popped it in the cat basket and it evolved into a game/belief that Emerald had had a kitten. Today, she has taken both cats in for 'Show and Tell' and I feel awful, and can't believe that I am bringing her up to be gullible. I tried to play it down on the way to school, by mentioning how they were toys etc etc.

It's really playing on my mind. I hope that her class mates don't make fun of her and also, in the long run, I need to encourage her to question what people say and not just believe what she is told. I feel like such a stupid fool and think that I encouraged this cat/kitten story for my own benefit - because I thought it was a cute scenario, rather than thinking about whether or not it was detrimental/patronising to her.

What are your thoughts on make believe play?

How was it when you collected her from school.
Ps my nine years old hot-headed scared of nothing little still believes in father Christmas and the tooth fairy a day so does my 7 year old girl.

I remember when when my eldest boy went to high school we still don't know if he believed in father Christmas or he was just humouring us but he never slipped up even of he was on his own with us

[loocyloo]

How was it when you collected her from school.
Ps my nine years old hot-headed scared of nothing little still believes in father Christmas and the tooth fairy a day so does my 7 year old girl.

I remember when when my eldest boy went to high school we still don't know if he believed in father Christmas or he was just humouring us but he never slipped up even of he was on his own with us

I'm not sure about my 14 yr old DS !!!! ... a few years ago he muttered once or twice about Father Christmas and never again! He definitely plays along but sometimes I wonder if he still believes! And as for the tooth fairy ... he hides his teeth when they fall out ( very few and far between! but then they arrived late too! ) but usually we find them and he never says anything!

[Maza]

Thanks everyone!

I asked her how it had gone when she got home and it seemed to have gone fine. I casually mentioned the fact that they are toys and she said "Yeah, but some people already know". I said "already know what" and she replied "that toys are real!" So even if they had stopped believing, she is converting them all back to believers!

From now on I'll play along with whatever she comes up with but tone down my own little stories! I need to keep on working in early years so that I can satisfy my own make belief needs!

[singingcactus]

My 10 yo son loves his magic and imagination. I told my eldest 2 stories of magic all the time, for them their whole childhood was filled with magic. The teachers loved them because of their amazing imagination. They could turn any every day thing into a magical adventure. Even now at uni they run the dnd club, one of them is the dungeon master for all of them. He is also in the middle of writing his first novel.

My youngest also has the best imagination, the world is an awesome place when you have imagination. Too many kids get stark reality foisted on them too early, and lose the ability to see the magic and the joy in the world around them.

You're doing great. Keep the magic there as long as you can, it protects the kids from the harsh edges of this world. (By magic I don't necessarily mean fairies and witches, just joy and amazement and the 'more than meets the eye' to the world around them)

[bunyip]

Sorry, but are you all trying to tell me the Tooth Fairy isn't real?

[Maza]

Sorry, but are you all trying to tell me the Tooth Fairy isn't real?

She is real, but she will only leave money for your first set of teeth that fall out Bunyip.

Anyway, I saw her on Peppa Pig, so she must be real.

[FloraDora]

My mother was Scottish/ Irish my father English.
Every year we caught a bus to Scotland for our annual holiday, we stopped at Scotch Corner and my dad always said I could only get out to go to the toilet because we needed a passport to get in to Scotland, as dad and I were the only English in our family ( a premonition of the future perhaps??!) I believed him until I was 12 and learn't at school that we were one country ! I think he made this up because we couldn't afford snacks at the cafe.
My dad also told me that the yellow fields near where we lived was 'mustard' not Rape seed oil- it took me to 18 years old to know that was a porky - I don't think he could ever bring himself to say the word rape to his darling daughter!! We had a hole in our skirting board where pixies lived, a big orange mark on a wallpaper pattern in our kitchen was the food giants eye .....he knew when I didn't eat my fish.....he would let me off, but I needed to eat some time or he might get cross - he never got cross!

The point is....it doesn't matter, pretend , imaginative play encourages creativity, yes there is a fine line to imaginative/ teasing, but hopefully friends are on the same wave length - we all grow out of it...
..ALTHOUGH.....

I still think Mary Norton has a real insight into the world and Borrowers may exist - where else do our missing little things go?!

[tulip0803]

My dad also told me that the yellow fields near where we lived was 'mustard' not Rape seed oil

Mine told us it was custard - for years we used to shout when we saw fields of custard. Even when we were told it was Mustard we still called it custard. and then when we new it was rapeseed it was still custard. I think the fields of mustard came about as field of mustard does look very similar to fields of rapeseed and when the new rapeseed came in people just took it to be mustard. x

[samb]

I've loved reading these stories - how lovely and imaginative. :-)

[bunyip]

She is real, but she will only leave money for your first set of teeth that fall out Bunyip.

Anyway, I saw her on Peppa Pig, so she must be real.

AH, that explains it. Now I can sleep soundly, without worrying that she'll take my teeth out of the glass and just leave sixpence.

[samb]

Hahahaha bunnyip