Gifted Issues Discussion homepage Forums Parenting and Advocacy Imitation

Starting a new one because I am curious about this.

DD had a project at school, All About Me. Parents had to prepare 2 pages with pictures so they could talk about themselves at school. The teacher did the first one. DD did hers, imitating the teacher, how she asked questions, etc. The teacher told us she had to hide because she started to laugh, it was quite amusing.

I find that DD does imitate a lot, both for the good and bad, sometimes testing behaviors she sees others do. (I hope this is not something that follows into the teen years...)

Like a group of older girls had the bad habit of "you are my friend, you are not my friend" and unwinding that one is a killer, since it was the cool, older girls.


But if she watches a show with older kids dancing, she tries to do the hip hop.
Ren

One day when my son was in half-day Kindergarten, I asked him if he learned anything and he showed me an imitation of his teacher putting on make-up. Apparently, she was running late and had to do this in class. If he is bored, he notices all kinds of things, but he particularly likes to study people. Several years later his interest in people and their behavior led him to read his sister's college psychology book.

When he first started Kindergarten and didn't know the name of one of the boys but wanted to tell me about something the boy did, he was able to imitate the boy's facial expressions and mannerisms so that I knew exactly who he was talking about.

His ability to imitate people, mannerisms, accents, and typical things the person he is imitating might say is what makes his jokes so funny.

I have never seen him use this ability in a mean way, but he is the only kid at home and homeschooled. I sometimes wonder if he would be different if he were in school and dealing with peer pressure. I am sure he would be the class clown.

Usually when my DS4 imitates, it is more like he is learning/copying mode.

For example, DS has learned many songs at school. When he learns one that I or DH doesn't already know he will teach it to us, much in the same manner his teacher probably does it. He'll sing a line and then say, "OK, now you sing it (back to me)". Then he'll add on one line at a time until he has taught us the whole song.


Lori - I know what you mean about the "class clown" it isn't full blown yet but my DS does have those tendencies at school and in other group settings.

As for imitation/impersonation: Billy Crystal mentions in his memoir, 700 Sundays, that he started his impersonations quite young. At about 5 yrs I think.

I would worry about the imitating so long as you are sure under all those imitations you daughter really knows who she is or at least who she isn't.