So i have a 7 year old nephew who always talk to himself.a lot of times he will be in the living room watching television and hearing him talking to himself and though it was him and someone was having a conversation,i don't have a child of my own at lease not yet but i had been around a lot of kids,spending time with them and babysitting my neighbors,sister,cousins kids all the time for years and i never had that type experience where a child talk to himself.it kind of somewhat creeps me out,i personally don't think it's normal and i do think that kids who talk to themselves are mentally ill.maybe am saying all this because it's my first experience.it just creeps me out with the things he said.people always say when u find yourself talking to yourself it's the first sign of madness that's why i think it's not normal,or just maybe he had a imaginary friend.to be honest i really don't know what to think about it.so what do you all think?do you think it's normal for a child to be talking to themselves?
[question posted by DOLLYBABY]
responses and comments:
Or maybe you should take him to the "shrink" and have him be examined. Or leave him alone, probably you are right, he has an imaginary friend. I don't know, it was like in the scary movies. I think you should talk to him in person, to see who he was talking to. Or he was playing a game with his own imagination or something like that. Whether he is mad or not, we are not professionals, we have no right to claim it as a truth. [clorissa123]
before i saw him talking to himself,he use to do a funny looking thing with his fingers like an handicap,/retard person at that time i was working at a hospital in the records depart,i told my sister to come by the hospital and have him check out,she talk to the psychiatrist and they told her to go by the kiddies clinic and set up a appointment for him,cause to me he doesn't really act normal.but they said he was fine and hyperactive but even will all that info i still think he's a crazy little boy.right now he's going to a regular check up clinic,i really hope they can help him and that he will change cause he creeps me out. [DOLLYBABY]
I think it's perfectly normal. As long as it's nothing Satanic, or he's not out killing kittens or something, then what's the harm? I think talking to yourself is a normal thing to do, to starve off boredom or to just keep yourself occupied. I sometimes find myself doing it sometimes throughout the day. [MissMarlaSinger]
i guess your right.it's probably normal who knows i probably had done it when i was little or much younger.i should'nt even be trip out about it cause at times i find myself laughing to myself,and my mom always asking me why am laughing so i guess we all have her own flaws. [DOLLYBABY]
I think that you shouldn't let him that way or else he will bring it along he grows. Maybe he is alone or something. The best way is to check him to pediatician and ask if it is normal. [rene12]
my sister took him to a psychiatrist they said he's normal but i doubted she told them he talk to himself i guess i would have to remind her when she's bring him the next time. [DOLLYBABY]
Hello dollybaby, I wouldn't worry too much about him talking to himself. Children are pure and their minds are open to so much. There are many many children that have imaginary friends that they talk to and there is nothing wrong with that that just means that they have big imaginations. I wouldn't much worry about it until he gets older, if he is still doing it when he gets to be a teen than I would start to be concerned. Maybe if you want sit him down some time and just ask him in a kiddish way who he is talking to, I am sure it is just an imaginary friend and he is just being a kid...I think therapy right now would hurt him more than help him and talking to himself at 7 doesn't mean he is mentally ill, just a child with a big imagination and that is a good thing =) [froggieslover]
No not make believe...just imaginary. When you grow older your imagination gets smaller because you start to be able to decipher the difference between real and fake but as a child you can not so things that are only "make believe" to adults seem so real to children. My son who is ten talks to himself as well on occasion and I have asked him before who is talking to and he tells me no one but my daughter who is wight tells me all the time that he is talking to his friend, he is unable to tell me because he knows at this age that I may not believe but he knows his sister still does. It may also be that he needs to talk aloud in order to understand things at such a young age, i just wouldn't try to make him stop this because it may cause him to not want to be as open with his imagination when he gets older... [froggieslover]
Hello, Dollybaby. I wouldn't worry at all. All my kids talked to themselves when they were alone. Up until about age 9 or 10, they're still learning basic vocabulary and having fun with words, trying out the sounds and seeing what they think of the newly discovered words. Most children love to chatter, and as adults we tend to try to shut them up after a while, but they still have so much to say, they say it to themselves. My eldest son even talked in his sleep until he was about 9, and it all made perfect sense! The important thing is not to let the child see you think it's a problem, or he'll talk to himself in secret and it could become an obssession with him that will stop him interacting normally in social situations. It's just part of growing up. He's exercising his imagination and trying out his vocabulary. Also, many young children can only rationalise something if they say it out loud, so it's helping his thought processes to develop as well. He sounds like a normal, well-adjusted 7 year old to me. [Sandra1952]
Hi, Dolly! Welcome to myLot! happy I think it's normal for kids to talk to themselves. I have a niece and she would talk to herself, but usually she would hold a doll or something and talk. My older nephew would talk to himself as well and sometimes, when I'm listening to what he was talking about, normally about something he has watched on T.V. and he's just imitating the voices or scripts. It's just like he's playing two characters. However, I think sometimes kids are so lonely that they start imagining things and talk to themselves. If you are worried sick about your nephew, try to make him busy with toys and don't always leave him all by himself. He might be bored, that's why he starts to talk to himself. [corrycrystal]
Hi. I believe that it's normal for some kids to talk to themselves or to some kind of an "imaginary" friend. From time to time, I babysit my nephews and I would see them talking alone while playing or watching TV. I guess it's a form of Entertainment or creativity for them. I would also see them play some strange act, following some sort of actions/mannerisms they have seen on TV or from other people within or outside the house. But I think it would depend on the situation. You also have to observe the kids when they are with other people. If they act perfectly normal when interacting with people, I guess there is nothing to be worried about. But when still in doubt, the best solution would be to visit a psychiatrist. [soledadclickz]
Maybe he sees somebody in the room. like a ghost or something...some people don't see ghosts but the ones who are more sensitive or children can see them...or if it is something else then I think child should have shown to some experts like psychologists...I think to talk to somebody at this age is not normal... [missweety]
i don't think it's normal either. [DOLLYBABY]
For the love of God. Children who have a fervid imagination do talk to themselves, especially if they're disappointed with the "real world"; they create an imaginary friend, try to find a little company. The 'talking to yourself it's madness' it's utterly nonsense; I've never heard a psychiatrist saying that or anything similar. And the 'is he normal' stuff is even worse. What is 'normality'? What are you basing your judgment upon? If the meaning you give to 'normality' (related to people) is 'conformity with the norm', well.. I personally don't think the norm is so sane. [Jargoness]
First and foremost, don't panic just yet. Most kids at age 3 to 5 tend to have imaginary friends. That's because their imagination is developing at this age. Maybe your nephew may just be a bit delayed in that area. I could remember myself talking to myself even up to now but I've definitely grown out of that imaginary friend. But I don't think that is a major reason to seek out a "shrink". It takes a lot more than talking to oneself to diagnose mental disorder. Just observe your nephew more. Some kids have very vivid imagination and they try to act that out. It could be a form of play for them. He may even grow to be an artist or a theater actor whatever someday. Well thats just my opinion. [Theresaaiza]
I think if hes been checked out and hes fine then theres no need to worry?? If he grows up and still continues to act like this then he should go back to the doctors. All children are different some talk to themselves and some like to have an imaginary friend. And as for him doing silly things with his hands and arms it may just be a faze, My son used to go round and round the floor on all fours like he was a dog and we found that very very strange but after a year he grew out of it and never did it again. What do his school teachers say??? do they experience any problems with him?? [vikkiz]
he done the same thing too like your son go on all four but walking like a ape..lol....his teacher said he's not focus in class,so they also did gave my sister a referral to see a specialist. [DOLLYBABY]
For me it is still normal at that age. I seen so many children doing that even at the tender age of 10. What they are talking to is their so-called imaginary friends or they just doing it, it is their form of play. They will get over that when they are in school because there are so many interaction there. But when you observed your nephew at the age of 15 still talking to himself , he should need a therapy on that. I guess you should ask your nephew who is he talking to so that you will not be bother. It is still an imaginary friend I guess. [grecychunny26]
Earlier this year, I saw my nephew talking to himself and I was disturbed. I didn't confront the kid because I seriously had no idea how to handle it and I honestly knew that it's not my place to tell him what to do or what not to do - I don't really understand kids that well since I don't have one either. When I asked my dad, he said that it's pretty normal among children although not ALL children go through that stage. I believe that imaginary friends often root from lack of actual friends for a kid - it's how their psych tries to compensate for the lack of needed social encounters among kids his age. That's why I try to talk to kids when they're around - I believe it helps them to be able to talk to other people. [oyenkai]
your definitely right. [DOLLYBABY]