sublimesting
Well-Known Member
you mean to tell me this really isn't Donald??? :lookaroun
I think the sombrero kind of gives that away....Donald wears a sailor's hat.
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My son made me loose some magic!!! :(
- Thread starter L2DAVI
- Start date
I think the sombrero kind of gives that away....Donald wears a sailor's hat.
Lucky
Well-Known Member
Right, that's his cousin Donaldo.I think the sombrero kind of gives that away....Donald wears a sailor's hat.
happymom52003
Active Member
I agree there is a difference between believing in Santa and believing Mickey is not in a costume for kids who are a bit older, but not for MOST 4 and 5 year olds. I assure you that there would be no need for concern if a four or five year old had not figured it out that Mickey is in a costume!
I by no means claim to know everything about children, and there are many opinions out there, but I'd like to think I learned something during my 12 years of working with children and during college where I earned my degree in in education with a specialization in early childhood development.
Sure, this is my opinion....but I assure you that it is shared by MANY people who are familiar with the way a child's mind develops....parents, teachers and doctors alike. There is nothing wrong with a four year old who does not know Mickey is in a costume! Now if you tell me you have a 8 year old who can't tell the difference, then I might get a little concerned. But not a four year old!
magic cait ball
Member
As a developmental psychology major who's writing a thesis on children's magical thinking, I can tell you that's not true. Different children have different Fantasy Orientation levels. Actually, it's becoming a popular idea in the literature that children with the high fantasy orientation (those who believe in all those things you label unhealthy) are using more complex cognitive abilities.
I know Mickey is a costume and I love him just the same but I was pulled back that my son figured this out already. I know his is 4 going on like 10 but still. I was hoping this wasn't going to happen for another 2 or so years at least. I was depressed and still am alittle. My baby is growing up. I also taught Pre-K for 8 years as well as Afterschool. So I'm aware of the difference in the way children believe. I also came across children who are 8 - 9 and still believe in santa, especially if there are younger kids at home. Children will believe as long as you let them. Oh and there are no other kids in my house just him so he may have heard from other kids but I have seen him inaction and tell the other kids they (santa, easter bunny and others) are real, up until sunday. Thanks for all of your input. I knew you guys would understand my sadness. 
but I'd like to think I learned something during my 12 years of working with children and during college where I earned my degree in in education with a specialization in early childhood development.
Maybe you've been working with children a little too long. I see no need to put in the "eye roll" icon simply because you don't like that I have a different opinion than you have. Seems a bit "childish".
I understand what you're saying, but I disagree that this applies in the case of a person in a costume. I think that's taking "high fantasy orientation" a little too far. It's one thing to have a very vivid imagination. It's another thing to literally not be able to tell when you are looking at a costume, and to not be able to tell the difference between that costume and an animated character. I'm not saying this means there is something wrong if a child doesn't think it all through logically (For example, I think if a child that age rides Pirates of the Caribbean and truly believes he is sailing through a town with real pirates, that is fine). But the Mickey costume is stretching it for a 5-year-old. The face doesn't move, the eyes don't blink and "Mickey" doesn't speak, even though the "real" Mickey is quite literally very animated. If my child wanted to enjoy the magic of being around Mickey in that form, and not think about the person inside the costume, that would be fine. But if he literally could not tell that it was a costume, that would concern me. To me it would be roughly akin to a child not being able to tell that a plush animal wasn't literally the same thing as a live animal. The child can play and pretend all he wants. But if he truly couldn't tell, I'd be worried about the child.
JWG
Well-Known Member
Yea, I'm hear for the "articles".
This topic comes up periodically and awhile back I remember reading a parent's great resposne not trying to lie to their children but talking about magic is what you make it and what you choose to believe. Mickey and company are as real as you want them to be. Yea... my recap sucks and the original post was way better.... sorry...
You've taken the words out of my mouth. Seriously. I was going to write all those exact things!
Just like you said, if a 5 year old thinks Mickey Mouse is a real, living, breathing mouse that's no different than if they thought their teddy bear was a real, living, breathing bear. And if my children thought all of their stuffed animals were actually alive - then yes, I would be a bit concerned about their mental well-being. :lol: Especially due to the fact that after they play with them, they throw them in a toy box! Obviously kids know the difference between a stuffed dog and a real dog, or they'd be throwing their pets in the toy box too! I remember being 5 and playing with dolls and stuffed animals. Though I used my imagination to pretend that they were alive, I obviously knew that they were not.
We never told our kids that there was a person inside the Mickey costume. It was just completely obvious to them by the age of 3 or 4....just as it's obvious to kids that their stuffed animals don't eat and p00p because they aren't alive. But kids look at Mickey the same way adults do - it's MICKEY MOUSE plain and simple, and we just overlook the fact that someone is inside of it to add to the magic.
And I also agree that Santa is a totally different thing. My kids figured out ages ago that the mall Santa (which would be the same as Mickey Mouse) was just a dude dressed in a costume...but they still totally 100% believe in the magical Santa that comes and leaves the presents under the tree, and they still know for a fact that it's a mythical fairy that leaves them quarters when they pull their teeth out.
Wilt Dasney
Well-Known Member
You seem to have drastically toned down the snark and personal jabs in your recent posts, which is great, but...I don't think your posting history really entitles you to complain about anyone's use of sarcastic smilies. You've been a prodigious employer of the sarcastic eyeroll and hammerhead icons in more than a handful of previous arguments around here.
happymom52003
Active Member
I think that comparing how children react to Mickey Mouse...who is life size, moves, interacts with people (even though he can't speak, although he does speak during the shows) to an inanimate stuffed animal is a bit of a stretch. Actually, it is more than a bit of a stretch in my opinion.
Actually...most mice are about 4 inches long...give or take...making Mickey be just as unrealistic as a 12 inch "bear".
cococola44
Active Member
i honestly feel that what i would have said is "this is a place for where families always want to believe in magic." i know it had to have been hard though. i know it will be hard when i cross the path with my daughter
happymom52003
Active Member
You are missing my point.
Most four year olds know that their stuffed animals are not real. But Mickey Mouse is life sized, moves, interacts and sometimes speaks. The majority of four year olds are going to think that Mickey is real for those reasons, unless they have been told otherwise. And the vast majority of them are not going to even associate Mickey Mouse with a real mouse.
Just because your own kids figured it out at a younger age does not mean that they are in the majority, and that there is something wrong with other four year olds who still think Mickey is real.
It all has to do with what developmental stage their minds are in, which varies from child to child. It is like anything else....reading, speech development, etc.....There are ranges for what is considered "normal" for different developemental milestones, and whether you agree with it or not, a four year old who still believes Mickey is real because no one has told them otherwise still fits into the category of "normal". You'd be hard pressed to find a doctor, psychologist, or preschool teacher who would be concerned if a four year old still thought Mickey was real and not a costume.
durangojim
Well-Known Member
On sunday 8/9 my 4-1/2 year old son made me want to cry.
I'm curious how you responded to this, what did you say to your son?
As for the rest of the thread speaking about high fantasy, blah, blah, blah, you guys are threadjacking, and I grow tired of hearing how someone has a degree in something that automatically makes a person an expert. If there's one thing I've learned is that everyone who thinks they have the only correct answer in medicine and some forms of science rarely does.
happymom52003
Active Member
Read my post again. I specifically said that I do not claim to know everything about children, and that there are different opinions out there on the matter.
I am giving my opinion based on not only my experience of taking hours and hours of childhood development classes that specialized in the age group this thread is about, but also on years of teaching.
maggiegrace1
Well-Known Member
Maggie will be 4 and I guarantee she has no clue that there is person in the Mickey Mouse costume..and I consider her pretty darned smart.....I also do not plan on telling her that there is someone in that costume either...she will eventually figure that out..
...I also do not plan on telling her that there is someone in that costume either...she will eventually figure that out..DURANGOJIM,:wave:
I asked him why he thinks that and he said cuz he's fake. So I didn't really get a straight forward answer. :shrug:
I let the conversation go after that but after a few minutes we asked "what about santa? And he said "he is real, you know the one with the long beard." So I let it be so he wouldn't associate santa being "fake".
For those who have hours and hours or years and years of schooling and training, I too have had the schooling/training and the hands on experiences, trust me, it is soooooo different when you have your own children. I believe that every child is different, which they are and they reach points in growth and development at different times. But you don't want "your" child to grow up that fast. You want them to be a kid and believe as long as possible. The kids these days are stuck growing up to fast. Let our kids be kids.
I asked him why he thinks that and he said cuz he's fake. So I didn't really get a straight forward answer. :shrug:
I let the conversation go after that but after a few minutes we asked "what about santa? And he said "he is real, you know the one with the long beard." So I let it be so he wouldn't associate santa being "fake".
For those who have hours and hours or years and years of schooling and training, I too have had the schooling/training and the hands on experiences, trust me, it is soooooo different when you have your own children. I believe that every child is different, which they are and they reach points in growth and development at different times. But you don't want "your" child to grow up that fast. You want them to be a kid and believe as long as possible. The kids these days are stuck growing up to fast. Let our kids be kids.