Kids are, in general, a weird bunch. Every kid I've ever met, related to me or not, has done things that make me raise my eyebrows and shake my head. But there are creepy things imaginative kids do that will make those "regular crazy kid moments" look like child's play, I guarantee it.
I have one of those imaginative kids. In fact, I might even have two, but once you've established that "crazy" is the new "normal" with my first, the weird things your second child does don't seem so weird anymore. My daughter has, and continues, to blaze a path of creepiness, and I constantly have to remind myself that her big imagination, which is mind blowing when I stop to think about it, is what fuels the moments that give me pause. I also remember the early days I spent with my stepdaughter, who was my biological daughter's age when I first met her, and she was just as creepy. In an adorable way, of course. Our first day of hanging out ended in a family dinner at my future sister-in-law's house. She beckoned me to the basement, made us hide behind a couch, and quietly whispered to me that all her cousins, aunts, and uncles there were either Martians or Aliens (they were different in her mind, somehow) and it was up to us to figure out who was who.
First impressions, right? Maybe those creepy things your kid has been doing mean the same thing. Take a look at these eight things kids do that just mean they have a big imagination:
Talking To You In A Made Up Language
My daughter has been making up her own languages for pretty much as long as she's been able to speak in completely (or semi-complete) sentences. I used to think she was just avoiding the work it would take to speak "properly" and chalked it up to her being stubborn, but I realized (after about a year) that she is just incredibly imaginative.
Creating A Family Scene With Toys That Don't Have Faces
That's a weird description for a toy, but how many kids do you know use alphabet fridge magnets to create "families" who talk to each other? Like, all the blue letters are one family, and they do things together, but they don't hang out with the orange letters. My daughter thinks outside the box in ways that blow my freakin' mind.
When They Look Like They're Talking To You, But They're Actually Talking To Their Imaginary Friend
I often start to answer my daughter, when I see her in the rearview mirror in our car and she's saying something, until she tells me to be quiet, because she's waiting for her friend "Byoafgjfdd" to answer her. Did I mention she makes up names as well as languages?
Talking To Themselves In The Mirror
This is classic creative kid behavior, but it can be creepy to walk in on. My teenage stepdaughter used to take forever getting ready for bed (well, she still does, but for different reasons now), and when I finally opened the door on her once, she was just talking and making faces to herself in the mirror. She then admitted that she did that every night, and I finally understood why she was taking so long. She's now an accomplished actor in her local drama club. Go figure.
Making Random Strange Faces
It can be jarring to walk into a room to find your kid in mid-face-making mode, I'm not going to lie. Generally, they're just in the middle of some kind of strange conversation with their imaginary friend, though, so don't worry.
Drawing Creepy Pictures
The first time I saw a picture of an actual person that my daughter had drawn, I was a little taken aback. Why did her grandma have terrifying talons? What were those weird lines coming out of her eyes? Turns out that artistic ability doesn't always match artistic vision, in the beginning.
Doing Things That Are Weirdly Adult-Like
Whether it's inserting big words into conversation to try them out, or emulating things they've seen you do, they are all about trying new hats on. It's adorable, as long as you realize that's what they're doing. However, hearing your 4-year-old daughter say, "Generally speaking" will always be a bit bizarre.
Dancing To The Beat Of Their Own Drum
Literally and figuratively. Kids who do things their own way, in a manner that challenges social norms, can face critics, but they do it because the life they are choosing to live, outside the box many adults and other kids may want to put them in, is one that's more colorful. That's a beautiful thing.
