Stream of consciousness talking from your pre-schooler?

[Anonymous]

If your kid did this, when does it end?

Especially in the car, my 3 year old just talks. Constantly. And switches topics halfway through a thought. I can never follow her. It's not a conversation, it's just constant noise while I'm trying to concentrate on driving in this area, which is a difficult feat without the "Mommy I saw a oh can I have a treat look brown bear brown bear do you remember when it snowed I like milk" coming from the back seat.

I try to engage her in a conversation, talk about what's passing by as we drive, anything to stop the babble but it just doesn't work.

[Anonymous]

Not sure - my 6 year old still does it. However, he knows I have to concentrate on driving and not to expect a response from me.

[Anonymous]

I really like this. One of my favorite commercials was the little girl in the car doing this and her father just going along with it.

[Anonymous]

Count yourself lucky. My 3 yo DD does something similar, but insists that we participate in the endless conversations, pretend "games," and jibber jabber. Alternately makes me laugh or want to poke my eyes out.

[Anonymous]

I did this as a child and I still do. So does my husband. It makes for interesting conversations.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:If your kid did this, when does it end?

Especially in the car, my 3 year old just talks. Constantly. And switches topics halfway through a thought. I can never follow her. It's not a conversation, it's just constant noise while I'm trying to concentrate on driving in this area, which is a difficult feat without the "Mommy I saw a oh can I have a treat look brown bear brown bear do you remember when it snowed I like milk" coming from the back seat.

I try to engage her in a conversation, talk about what's passing by as we drive, anything to stop the babble but it just doesn't work.

I know it will, but I wish it never would. I love listening to it.

[Anonymous]

I just realized that my almost-4 year old has stopped doing this. She started doing it around 3, mostly when she wanted to talk to a grown up that was not her parents:
"Ann! Ann! Ann!"
"Yes?"
"We went to a hotel and there was a pool and my brother touched the bottom and I got some presents and my grandma is really old but my grandpa died and I think he liked coffee but so does my mom because we go to Starbucks and I like vanilla milk."
"Really? That's great!"
"Our cat died. His name was Marvin, but I wasn't born yet."

I'd say she stopped doing this around 3.5.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I did this as a child and I still do. So does my husband. It makes for interesting conversations.

My husband does it, too (and MIL, clearly it's nurture AND nature). One of the few things that sometimes really makes me want to smother him in his sleep. Except he's not talking then, so I never go through with it!

[Anonymous]

Awww. I'm sorry it bothers you. My older son had a speech delay and also is by nature quite reticent, so I have never gotten any kind of chattiness out of him. I guess because of that, I love it whenever my younger one rambles on. He is 6 by the way, so still doing it sometimes, if not extreme stream of consciousness. I just always want to hug him when he starts prattling on, it's so darling.

Now, if I'm driving and my child is asking me questions that distract me from driving (because I have to answer back), I will simply say "Mommy needs to concentrate on driving right now." Safety comes first.

[Anonymous]

Still do it myself and have for as long as I can remember.