Very serious about imagination, role playing, etc

[iot]

This is my first time post in this sub-forum, I wasn't sure whether to post here or in toddlers, so please feel free to redirect me if necessary.

DD is almost 3 years old (her birthday is in April). She has always being very imaginative, lots of pretend play, making up stories, etc. Her newest thing (from 4 or 5 months ago) is to role play, often she "switches" roles with me, so I have to play her..sometimes she is whatever else ( a Dog, a giraffe, a man, etc). Anyway, with the role playing I find that she can get very serious about it, so for example, she can throw a tantrum because I don't let her peel and slice the mango, because she is "mama" and "mama is allowed to do it". Or she can get mad because she wants to put my boots on and I'm therefore supposed to wear hers (the last one being a physical impossibility, but there is no logic to be used because, since I am her, my feet are small and then the boots should fit!). I am sure that she understands that she is not really me when she is doing this game, yet it can really get to her emotionally when things don't go the way they should according to the plot (and they can get to me too, when I am corrected to refer to her as "toby the dog" or the "lady from the zoo" and I get all mixed up as to whom she is at a particular point in time, or when she keeps requesting unreasonable stuff!).

Another quick example: tonight before bedtime she announced happily after looking through the window: "It's day time". I explained to her that even though the sky actually looked pretty bright (it's been snowing all day), it was nighttime, but couldn't get her to accept it. Later, she got very mad because I didn't allow her (in her role as "toby the dog") to go to sleep in the clothes' hamper (the dog's bed). Well, you see, I had said before that she was only allowed to sleep there in the daytime...and it was daytime! (in her own mind).

I am assuming this is somewhat common and I'm not worried or anything. i absolutely love her imagination and creativity. Just wondering if others have experienced this and how they deal with it. Any one has any stories to share?

Thanks in advance!

[Ceili]

We're heavy into playing pretend around here and I often can't keep up with what animal I am at any given moment. Occasionally we have times where he wants to do something as a dog (or whatever) that he's not allowed to do as a person. So since we're playing pretend we pretend that he's doing it. For example if ds wanted to eat the dog food, I'd tell him that since he's a pretend dog he can have pretend dog food and I'll give him an invisible bowl of dog food. This has solved most of our problems with this type of thing.

[AugustineM]

My DS is 3.4 and is really into pretend play too. He's often a fairy princess or a frog or Pippi Longstocking or Dorothy or the Tin Man, or a rabbit with an enormous carrot. He doesn't get as upset as your DD if the pretend play isn't quite right, but sometimes he does ask to do things that are just an impossibility. Like he will want to climb up all the bookshelves and perch on the top like a bird. Or he will want to plant carrots in the toybox and actually water them with real water. Often I am able to redirect him with pretend water, or climbing something safer than the bookshelf, but often if he says he wants to do crazy things I will sort of parrot it back to him: "Oh, you really want to climb the bookshelf, do you? Hmmm. Wow." And not say anything else. I try my best not to say, "No, you can't do that." I mean, if he actually did start climbing the bookshelf I'd say no, but lots of times he just tells me things he wants to do, and doesn't actually try to do it. So if your DD said she wanted to sleep in the clothes hamper because that's where the dogs sleep, you could say, "Really? The clothes hamper? Interesting!" And just continue getting ready for bed. I dont know, maybe she's too willful, but it might work!

[iot]

Thank you both for your responses! (sorry for delay, this forum moves too fast for me, he!).

Well, I'm afraid those techniques won't work on her because even though she is pretending, she is quite literal and specific about what she is requesting others to do while part of her pretend play (ironic, uh?). We always joke that she is going to be a movie director! anyway, it was nice to hear stories about other imaginative little ones and to know I'm not the only one that needs to come up with creative solutions (well, that's probably all moms, right? I believe motherhood required so much creativity and imagination!).

Thank you again!