My three-year-old thinks she's a horse. Is this acceptable?

Question

She insists on her mom filling feed bags with cereal and popcorn and strapping them to her face at meals. This is hard to explain when company is over. She also begs her brother to sit on her back so she can take him to places around the house. At first we didn't pay much attention, until she cried and cried because we wouldn't allow her to **** in the backyard. She draws pictures of "herself" and says her real name is Nellie. We're sick of her answering us by whinnying. Is this acceptable or is she just a little freak?

Answer 1

if you make a big deal it will get worst, dont sweat, and youre just giving her attention, so shell do it more, ignore her, maybe even treat her like a horse so she could learn

Answer 2

Every child goes through a imaginary/dramatic phase. This age is great because you can reverse behavior easily. Try taking her to see horses, care for them, ride them, whatever....she'll love it. Use that as an incentive for good/acceptable behavior. Say things like "we're not going to the farm tomorrow because you're not behaving like a little girl, horses are horses and little girls are little girls". You must be persistent! If you say you're not going, then don't! Do not give in! If worse comes to worse....simply say "I'm not playing these games with you anymore." and leave it at that.
Persistency is the key! Loose that, and you've lost everything you're trying to change.

Answer 3

Hah! She might grow up to be a furry!
I did the same when I was little except I was a Wolf. Still keep the SAME wolf as my fursona in the furry community.
It could be a phase. I've heard this type of story MANY times before. If it gets to the point where its disruptive and harmfull then consult a doctor. Now, just have fun ^-^

Answer 4

Sounds like she's horse-crazy. My 3 yr old is horse-crazy too. And I support her passion by taking her riding and during the times that I haven't been able to afford it, I take her to the stables with a bag of carrots or apples and we ask if we can feed the horses. She's had opportunities to pet them and brush them and being around them makes her happy. I would suggest trying to encourage her passion. They have great horse figurines and barns and such and she can play "pretend" horse. You can let her know that if she is a horse she can't go riding and she can't do other things that she might like (like playing with dolls or watching tv, simply, cuz horses don't do that).

When she does the freakish horse stuff, make sure you refer to it as "pretend" - like, "oh look, sara's pretending to be a horse again. okay sara, we can pretend later but we're having dinner now so you need to be sara."

Good luck with it. She's not a freak, just imaginative - it'll pass.

Answer 5

She is 3, so is exploring her imagination...normal behaviour (although eating from a nose bag etc does seem a little excessive!) If you are really concerned, get a referal to a child psychologist. Also, read 'Tales of a Fourth Grade Nothing' by Judy Blume. One of the chapters deals with the little boy thinking he is a dog. Might help.

Answer 6

OK... If you're actually telling the truth (I question because I have a three year old girl and I know very well how they can behave) I think you and the mother have a lot to do with this. Playing is important, but this is socially unacceptable. You need to see the pediatician. I can't believe the DR hasn't discussed this with you. I truly think you're making this up.

Be a good father -- talk to your baby girl.

Answer 7

well her mom should of never started feeding her like that when my son pretends to be a dog i would tell him well dogs cant eat ice cream so i guess u cant get any and well dogs cant eat cereal they have to eat dog food and so on maybe her mom could start doing that. she is only using her imagination though but her mom does need to break that habbit of eating out of bags all the time maybe she could set a time to eat out of bags. she cant do it all the time. and to cure the whinning tell her mom to say well i dont speak horse can u talk like a big girl cause i cant understand horse talk. this is not freakish though i think its normal imagination of a child. you just need a time and a place for it though thats all. i hope this helps.

Answer 8

ok me having an almost 3 year old. my son recently started acting like a dog by panting and crawling on the floor. I stopped this behavior immedately..or still in the process. He now knows that mommy doesn't like when he acts like that cause he is a lil boy and not a doggie. I personally don't like it myself because it annoys me. But ofcourse everything in moderation is wonderful.

No offense towards you but you n ever should have allowed her to eat outta a bag. Yes, It will be a hard habbit to break cause by now she is used to it and it seems like daily behavior. Yes, you will get temper tantrums from her since she is now used to acting like a horse but you have to just ignore them and also tell her that you don't speak to horses. or you can tell her that when she acts like that you just don't understand her.

As far as her trying to do you know what in the backyard. That is definitely out of control. See...for me this behavior is unacceptable but that is me. Some parents dont mind it.
You also have to understand that there is a fine line between imagination and reality. I know all toddlers have wonderful creative imaginations like invisible friends which is very normal but it sounds like your daughter has become "nellie" the horse.

Its sad to say that you encouraged her by allowing her to act like a horse. like I said....it's normal but if it bothers you, like it would me I would end it. and if it doesn't bother you ....let her ride it out...so to speak. ha ha. and eventually she will grow out of it.

and nooo your lil one is not a freak.. i DO HAVE to say you gave me a good laugh.

best of luck

Answer 9

I know someone whose daughter was a cat for a whole year. She eventually just grew out of it. I think it's healthy and she'll probably grow out of it soon, but I'm sorry b/c it must be very hard to handle.

Answer 10

She will grow out of it when i was little i acted like a dog for 1 year lol its just a phase...