My six year old has a pretty large vocabulary. She uses words like “persistent” and “stupendous” in normal conversation. So when she started baby talking last week I knew something was amiss. I have read all of the parenting books and blogs I can get my hands on. I have been informed by Drs. Sears, Ferber and Spock that she is going through an event that she is not psychologically ready to face so she is reverting to her infant language as a coping mechanism. This would all make perfect sense if we were moving, or if there had been a death in the family. But there isn’t any big change happening. There is summer camp and afternoons in her grandparents’ pool. 

Perplexed by this sudden use of baby talk, I asked her why she was doing it. She informed me that she missed being a baby, when everyone did everything for her. She didn’t have to feed herself or bathe herself. Somebody else wiped her butt and cleaned out her ears. She wanted to be pampered and waited on. That’s my girl. I’m fairly certain she is going to be a politician. She tried to talk me into this little game by saying “don’t you remember how cute and sweet baby Riley was?” while handing me her hair brush. I told her “yes, baby Riley was wonderful and sweet and adorable, but baby Riley didn’t have a personality like big girl Riley does.” She countered with “baby Riley was so cuddly” to which I replied “but baby Riley couldn’t read books to me. Big girl Riley reads to ME at bedtime instead of mommy reading to baby at bedtime. That’s pretty cool.” She had no reply. I am chalking this up as a point for mom!

 

 

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