Kids playing DAD

[bafisher]

I have 3.5 year old twins...living with 2 moms. They play dad everyday. I know that this play is OK, but is there anything else that I should do???

When asked they know that their family has a mom and a mama (and a cat). They can also tell you families from TV shows that have a mom and a dad. SO I think that they "get" it....all families are different.

I just feel like there should be something else for me to do or say???

Any suggestions???

Beth
Ethan and Evan

[dogpawstka]

I can certainly understand your concern. Relax!!!! That type of role-playing is completely appropriate for 3.5 year olds (see Piaget's stages of child development). Actually, one should be more concerned if one's children were not engaging in such role playing activity. Smile and pat yourself on the back, youre raising "typically developing" children:-)

[neicey]

Dear Bafisher
Bless you, you've touched my heart. Those babies are lucky to have you..now it's time to just kick back and have fun, ditto to comment above!
Be good to yourselves-trust yourselves-know your not alone
Sincerely,
the other mommy

[kimclarke]

I understand how you feel. I have a 3 year old girl and 6 year old boy. They are always playing mom and dad. It made me feel a little weird at first, but then I realized it was just another way of them playing family.

[anneyates]

surround them with many dress up clothes...

hats
shoes
career uniforms
knee pads
big boots
tons of capes
pretend food
big pillows to create "houses" and "schools".


And then sit back and allow yourself to enjoy your child stepping into a new stage of development. In my home, pretend play has no rules, no guns, and no taunting......those rules work so well for my little guys.

My oldest son is 5 years old now. I wanted to get a feel as to where he stood with having two moms about a week ago. So, in passing, i asked, "Andrew, why don't you have a daddy"......as I felt would be the hardest quesiton for him to explain to others......

WITHOUT hesitation.........he says......."I have two Mama's......that is plenty"..........that was it! 100% genuine and truth from a 5 year old.

We have male baby sitters and that seems to have helped with some of the anxiety we had about "male influence".....

Hope this helped some...

Anne

[Sharra55]

I stumbled across this site while reading about the cruises. I have a two year old. He loves to play dress up - in ANYTHING! Mommy shoes, clothes, daddy's shoes and clothes. He playes with dolls and trucks. You children are normal developing kiddos. It sounds like they are very lucky to have such a great Mommy looking after them ( and worrying about them!) I agree with the other poster...keep lots of dress up stuff around. I have tons of dress up clothes, hats, shoes, jewelry around for Aiden to play with. We have dress up clothes that are both male and female. He loves the dress up in anything at this point and I am happy that he has such a vivid pretend life.

Sharra

[ourtribe]

We're two dads with our daughter 4 and son 2. Cheyenne will often pretend to be a 'mommy' caring gently for her "little baby" doll. She'll be putting pillows under her shirt and proudly telling us she going to have a baby. It's quiet cute when she tells any new person she meets "I'm going to be a Teacher and then a mommy" "Daddy says I should be a teacher first". We smile to each other and know that we are teaching our daughter that to be a mommy is to know how to love and care for another. I don't want to minimize gender and its role in molding a young person. Role models are important however I don't feel they need to be gender specific. But to be on the safe side we do include specific "girl time" with the grandmothers and my sister. Interestingly enough my sister was oddly taken back when I had a hand-me-down warm fuzzy PJ's on Kody that were PINK! She quickly enquired why is Kody in pink. I told her "please, he fits into them, doesn't he?" No worries Kody will be choosing what he wants to wear soon enough:cool:

Cheyenne was adopted through foster care, later Kody was born to the same birth mother. Bio mother recognized early on during the early months with Cheyenne that she could not give to her children the mother they would need. I believe her biggest wish for her children is that we would teach them those life lessons she never learnt. I think we're well on our way.

[MaryM]

I've encouraged my sons to play dad, because hopefully they will be dads one day. Once, my then 5 year old told me he was being made fun of at school for playing mom and dad with the girls and the dollhouse, and he told the other boys that he was just practicing for when he was a dad someday!