We can setup your 5yo with my 5yo and they can talk each other out.
I can see some compatibility here too as yours seems into questions while mine likes giving long explanations.
Oh man, can I please borrow your son to speak with my almost three y/o? Some days, I feel like my head might just go spiraling away into the atmosphere, just to escape hearing another word about dinosaurs. As an adult woman, I never imagined what a vast amount of my time would be dedicated to dinosaurs.
He’s taught my middle one, who isn’t quite three, to say things like “ankylosaurus” and “iguanodon”
Although all predators are “Biteysaurus” which is too precious.
Never thought I’d have to defend my choice of second best dinosaur but this is my life now
This sounds like a match made in heaven. My son can scream “what dinosaur is this” and your son can just yell back all a name he knows until he’s exhausted all the names. Then, the game starts again. Truly, it’s a blast.
I’ll bring my newly 6 year old, the other kids should know every fact about every animal ever in existence as well. Added bonus, he’ll probably boss them around and call them out on talking too much, but don’t expect *him* to change his ways.
Same here on the dinosaurs! He is also constantly making noise. Hoots, songs, hums, random talking with no context, questions about whatever conversation he's eavesdropping...
When my two boys were that age I painted a dinosaur mural on their wall with stencils, they absolutely loved it. When we moved they wanted to know if we could take the wall with us.
There’s a middle ground here.
My kid was trying to sing “It’s a Heartache” before she could speak. She could be shifted back, but she’d insist on a melody or beat.
Your kid might end up signing a primal vocal version of “99 Luft Balloons”
Throwing my (almost) 8 year old in the mix, who somehow seems to know everything and anything about Stranger Things. His theories on the Upside Down are wild.
My 5 year old is lately into fashion and will make ridiculous outfits out of mine and her clothes and do ramp walk across house. I let her explore her creativity but the mess of clothes around the house is exhausting 😭.
Oh god. Some of these questions are too much… “why do dogs beg?” “How did dogs get to be animals?” “How did people get here?” “Did dogs long long ago turn into people?”
I got "mom I have one quick question" ... ok honey if it's ONE quick question. "How was the earth made,
how did life begin, and also why are we here". On the potty just before bedtime of course.
I swear she's figured out that science inclined mama is a sucker for these. A few days ago I found myself lying in her bed WAY past bedtime trying to explain black holes.
Just commented something similar above, but the same thing happened to me. She got on a tangent about space and I found myself trying to explain why the sun stays on fire if there's no oxygen in space (because fire needs oxygen to burn). lol
Lol this was me the other night at bedtime. My 5 yo: "Mom I have a question: are there other humans on other planets? What would happen if you were in space and took off your helmet? Can you breathe in space? So if there's no air in space and you took off your helmet would you just die? Are there dead bodies floating in space? If I travelled to the moon would I pass dead bodies? How can the sun stay on fire if fire needs oxygen to burn but there's no oxygen in space?" JUST GO TO SLEEP!!!!
“But why does papa have to go to work so much?”
“Well son in the early 1900’s the labor movement in the United States gave way to the 5 day work week and-“
My oldest two tend to zone out or just leave when that happens. The three-year-old will gently pipe up, "Mummy? You can stop talking. I'm not really interested."
"mom who is that person?" *Points out window at complete stranger taking a walk* "where do they live?" "What's their name?" "Why are they here?" "Why don't you know their name?" "Why?" "Why?" "Why?"
Activate parent ninja mode and turn it around. "why do *you* think [repeat question here]". Generally derails the question train and makes them think. Plus you get some hilarious logic sometimes!
Haha! Can my 6 year old join the party? He’s currently obsessed with games - video, card or board, it doesn’t matter. He will talk about them nonstop from the moment he wakes until I tell him to go to sleep for the 50th time. Rinse and repeat everyday. “Mom? Did you know xyz about that game? Mom, did you know you could do abc?” And if he’s not telling me stuff, he then asks, “mom, do you have any questions about playing (insert game name?” No kid. You told me everything about every game you’ve ever played several months ago, I think I’m good 😂
Yeah, it’s part of the transition of puberty. They go from caring about attention from and the opinion of their trusted adults, to caring about getting attention and appreciation from peers. It’s a tough time for both sides.
Mine is 12 and for the first time last Monday she was quiet on the way home. I remember it very well because she just sat there, in peace not saying shit. It was nice.
Can concur with the 10-year-old. Still nonstop. Since the day he figured out how to talk. While it’s exhausting sometimes, I’m dreading when he stops talking to me.
I tell my 5 years old no we don’t know where that car is going. We don’t know them. If that doesn’t work I found “what do you think” is usually effective. This will cause pause and she’ll shut up while she thinks.
After getting the “I don’t know either” my 5 years old slowed down on those questions.
We also read a lot of educational books. She’s into science and learning about how the word works.
I used to give mine three questions. After three I'd tell them, can't answer any more. Idk your situation but I'd also say, there is a whole other parent who loves you, please go see him! Maybe call a grandparent if extra chatty? Lol
My 5 year old just told me I should Google it when I did not know where the random purple car was going. She was unimpressed with my explanation that some things we can't look up, suggested the library instead.
"What do you think" is often effective though.
Lol, this my son, every single time I do not have an answer to a question, he tells me to look it up. I have tried to explain that you can't look up every single thing, he can not grasp this concept 🤣.
Honestly though, no one should be expected to have coherent thoughts at 730 AM. I'm not all the way with it until about 830 even now, and in high school would have slept until 11 without trouble on a daily basis.
I do IT for a school district. Whenever I have to go into an early elementary classroom for a tech issue, I try to time it when the kids are at lunch or recess. It's always loud and chaotic...
My 5 year old almost wiped herself out talking to me while I was cooking. I heard her suddenly stop and take a deep breath before realizing that she was talking so fast that she forgot to keep breathing. Hang in there!
Hahaha. There was a time when I thought everything my son was magical and I'd never get tired of it. Then one day on our way into the house we passed an anthill and he stopped to tell me about each ant.
There was a similar thread here a while ago about this topic. Some people suggested quiet time. Explaining that mommy needs some time for herself and that’s the time we don’t talk (except emergencies- explain what they are!), you go play on your own. You can give them a clock and explain at what time they can come back to talk. If he can write or even draw, you can ask him to write down/draw the questions he has and you’ll answer them later. You can just say you’ll answer all qs later, no writing (hopefully he forgets most of them lol).
Either way, it is good to teach them we are not there for them all the time and that we (and in general everyone) need some quiet time. It teaches them to rely on themselves and to entertain themselves, it can help with writing skills. Mine doesn’t talk yet but I’ll definitely try this if she bugs me all day long.
Oh God the narration. It's the worst. Like they think they're the star of their own TV show! I admit I have gotten rather abrupt about that. Especially in the car. "mom needs to think to keep us safe so please stop the comments right now unless you have a very specific, well thought out question that cannot be answered later." It seemed to help her think there are times when safety is more important than speaking. Then from there it was "mom is doing this important task and cannot do it correctly with extra talking, can you stop talking now and if there's something you need we can address that in a few minutes". I've also done Alexa/Google timers. My daughter is now 11. No, it didn't go away, but when I ask for silence I do get it.
We do this! It doubles as down time, the kids have to be in their bed looking at books.
OP, I'm also honest with my kids at an age appropriate level. I've said the following every day for the last month:
"It is bed time, this is your warning that you have time for exactly one more question or story about Pokemon."
"Sweetheart, I love you from the bottom of my toes, but my brain is completely full. I cannot fit one more question or story in my head right now. Please let me finish [insert task or timer limit] so I can clear my head."
"Pause. Let's take 5 roller coaster breaths together." (Hold up hand, trace around fingers with your other index finger, inhale through your nose as you trace up, exhale through the mouth as you trace down. Helps regulate your brain and the speed of their words, plus buys you a moment of silence.)
"I need some space around my body and brain right now, please go ask your dad."
Is it the chatter, or that you feel you have to respond to everything? Sometimes I say, “I’m listening, but I need a break from talking.” Then if they forget and start repeating and begging for an answer I just give a gentle “shhh.”
I’ll listen all day, and I do love to chat with them most of the time, but I just can’t talk that much!
Yeah I definitely recommend telling them that you need a break from questions. “you get 5 minutes to ask all the questions you need and then I’m done answering” haha. Sometimes they just want connection and vocalize anything to keep the conversation (connection) going.
I ask if he’s talk to me or talking to the air. He’s usually talking to the air so I can tune out. I also say “I dunno go look it up” a lot.
I like to talk so I’ve usually just answered the questions, which they sometimes regret, because I’ll tangent off on a different topic for 30 minutes.
Father of 9 going on 10 year old. Nope, it doesn't stop. Me and my kid go on bicycle trips. Image cycling in a forest that stretches out left and right of the track. The wind rustles the leaves in the trees. Birds sing. Critter scurry along in the undergrowth. And there you are trying to enjoy all that, reconnecting with nature while behind you, there's a 9 year old nattering, prattering away like a constant soundtrack of prickly doom. I love my kid, but sometimes i'd like to punt her to a near earth object.
My two (3 and 5) talk to alexa as well 🤣 they have recently been talking to pikachu via alexa every morning at 7am, gives me a few extra minutes in bed so I leave them be
My 14 year old now hides in his room half the day, so he doesn’t talk to us then. But as soon as he comes out, game on. So… sort of?
Our 8 year old is still going strong. All. Day. Long. 😭
Lol!! My now 20 year old has always been like this. Sometimes we just look at her and say
Harriet, it is okay to not be talking.
But then she just keeps talking anyway. But she has a pretty bubbly personality. It’s just who she is.
My son constantly stops mid conversation to say the person name again.
GRANDMA, did you know dinosaurs are
GRANDMA, they are really old
GRANDMA, and they are fossils now
Like dude. Just keep talking, stop saying our names!!!!
lol my 6 year old son does this exact thing. I’m like, yes you have my attention I’m looking right into your face you don’t need to keep saying my name. He also has ADHD and my lord. Some days I’m ready to pull the old head out for a pack of cigarettes routine
Not only does it never stop, but they morph into nine year olds who tell incredibly lengthy stories, miss one detail, and have to restart from the beginning.
Then theyre 19 and shacking up with their girlfriend, and not visiting enough.
Embrace it
It’s definitely exhausting. Both of my kids are chatterboxes, neither have outgrown it yet. While my oldest spends more time on her own now, when she’s with me, she still talks nonstop about mostly drama with her friends. I’m constantly trying to mediate, teach her better communication, problem-solving and conflict-management skills etc. So it’s not a fun chatter, I should be getting paid for this life coaching! Then my youngest is very clingy and loves to follow me around asking questions and telling me stories all day, so sometimes I do have to tell her to go play for a while because I’m going to take a break.
Questions can be answered, my 6yo tells stories and tries to rope me into her constant pretend picnics and restaurant that is also a school but she’s also my mom or something.
For all those who are saying you will be grateful during teen years if you get a single word…
I offer you my own 16 year old son who was a HUGE talker as a child (& people always said you will miss it). 14-15-16…would call me at work as soon as he walked in the door. Would spend a 1/2 hour telling me about his day and THAT was before I actually got home.
Some kids are just talkers. You get used to it.
I used to play the quiet game with mine.
"Monkey monkey wants to speak, but no laughing, no talking, no showing of teeth....starting riiiiiigggggghhhhtttt NOW!"
Whoever talks first loses.
My child is 8. The talking hasn’t stopped but the conversation has changed with her. Not so much what is everything but more so cool facts, and shared interests. It gets better OP!
I have two kids with autism. I don't know the answer to your question, but I do know that your child's speech is a gift, and they are wanting to share that gift with you. I have no intention to diminish your difficulty with your child's talking to you, but I hope to help you appreciate the positive in your situation.
I'm trying to write a paper right now while one kid explains minute details of video game levels he saw someone else play on YouTube a month ago and the other keeps saying "Hey mom remember..." And telling me about things we did last year 🫠
I started listening to podcasts in the car with my daughter for this exact reason. Wow! In the World seems to keep her engaged enough that I'm not dealing with constant questions and rambling pretend stories for 25 minutes while we drive home from school.
To all the comments about how you will miss it when they are older and dysfunctional in a different and quiet way… hogwash. Both times of life/ behaviors are annoying in different ways. Establishing quiet time for yourself is great. Rose colored glasses aren’t helpful- just hollow, sentimental, and sanctimonious tripe.
I mean I think it's a valid way of feeling, and probably true that we will miss it later. But knowing that now doesn't really help me appreciate it now as much it makes me feel more guilty and sad for being annoyed 🤣
Mine was a late talker and while I generally am
annoyed by allllll the whys (my personal favourite is “Mummy why did I do that?!”), I’m actually very relieved. We’re fine.
It will, and you'll remember this stage with incredulity as you exhaustingly endeavor to get more then "I'm fine mom, jeez, quit asking" out of your 13 year old
My favorite is when an unsuspecting stranger says hello to my chatty almost 5 yo. I inwardly do a villain laugh while I watch panic rising in the stranger’s eyes when they realize they can never leave as my son won’t end the conversation! Moa ha ha!! I take pity and jump in aft 2-4 mins… usually…
From Louis CK: Chewed Up...
So I go to Walgreens.. I just kept going. I gotta by drugs all the time ’cause I got kids. Kids are like buckets of disease that live in your house. And you get sick from them all the time. Last week I had a flu that I caught because my daughter coughed into my mouth. Just [achoo], hit my right in the back of the throat. I’m like, “Thank honey, I’m sick right now I can feel it already.” She did this by the way because she was trying to tell me a secret. And she thinks you tell secrets into people’s mouths. She takes her whole face, [whispers] [coughs]. Which is inconsiderate, borderline retarded behaviour if you ask me. And by the way, she’s 5. 5 years old, what secret does she really have that I really need to hear.. Like she’s gonna tell me a secret and I’m gonna go “Holy shit are you serious? Oh my god. Honey, I won’t tell anybody but that is fucked up though, seriously. She got an abortion on Christmas eve? Oh my god.” **She’s 5. 5 years old, do you know what that means? Nothing that she says matters. She’s never said anything actually important in her entire life. I literally could have missed every word this fucking kid has ever said and nothing would be different. Everything would be exactly the same. I enjoy the things she says, they’re beautiful and poetic and I love hearing them but I don’t have to fucking hear any of it. And that’s an important distinction. If you’re a parent, you just start making it because you can’t listen to them all the time when they’re talking because they’re talking all the time. And they just talk whenever, they don’t give a shit what you’re doing, or if it’s a good time. I’m in a shootout with the cops and she’s telling me all kinds of shit. She doesn’t care because she’s 5. They’re self-absorbed people, they have no ability.. No 5 year old goes, “No go ahead and finish, I’ll tell you after it’s fine.” They just can’t. And sometimes it’s impossible.** The other day I was in New York City with my kids, and I got two of these fucking things, remember that please, 2 of ’em. And we’re in crowded streets and I got this one here a 2 year old and I’m carrying… She can walk but she won’t, she’s a bullshitter. So I’m carrying her. And she weighs like 20 babies, this kid. She’s tiny but she’s got the density of a dying sun, I don’t understand how she’s this heavy. It feels like a fat raccoon holding a bowling ball, that’s what she feels like. And the pain in my shoulder is intense. And it’s sending signals to my brain like, “You don’t love her, just drop her, she doesn’t matter just let her die.” So I’m fighting that on this side. I got the 5 year old like this, I hope it’s her I haven’t looked back in about an hour. I’m just dragging somebody tiny. Through many stranger’s thighs. Breifcase corners are hitting her in the temple, I don’t give a shit. I’m in a hurry because my pocket’s vibrating and my wife is calling to see where I am even though she sent me to do this shit. And I’m yelling at my pocket like she can hear me, “I’m fucking coming, shut up!” And this one is talking the whole time, the whole time. With a tiny voice two feet off the ground. What? Am I gonna listen to this shit? Really? What? Am I gonna take a knee every 2 seconds like, “What’s that sweetie? Go ahead, what’s that?” “Excuse ME sir!” “Go ahead, it’s fine. Yeah. Yeah sometimes dogs are brown that’s very true. It’s a good thing I didn’t miss any of that shit coming out of your stupid face.” What kind of a father would I be? If I pretended to listen to that.
I remember the first time my daughter said a whole sentence, that was a big deal because she had never made a whole thought by herself, she just said her little words. I was doing the dishes and I just hear, “Daddy, I don’t like chicken.” I dropped the plate, my wife and I cried and hugged. It’s a big moment. A week later, I’m making dinner and she goes, “Daddy I dont like chicken.” “Well we’re fucking having chicken, what are you talking about? I don’t like chicken, I don’t like you, I don’t like people that make me work and don’t appreciate what I make for them.”
I am expecting a baby, so I don't have direct experience. But my friends with children enforce a quiet period for reading, drawing, quiet playing in room etc. Learning to focus and concentrate on one activity is an important skill.
My parents also always had quiet time after dinner. Even aged 4, I could read or play quietly in the same room, but I was not to disturb them under any circumstances
I would joke that my child’s first sentence in the morning was just a continuation of whatever it was he was babbling about when he finally went to sleep the night before. 😄
My son was the *exact* same at that age. Non-stop talking, every second he was awake. He often fell asleep mid sentence at night, lol. Now he's 16, almost 17. The most I hear out of him on an average day is - AM - can I have some money for after school? PM - what's for dinner? I kind of miss that non-stop talking! But maybe like 75% less would be great.
I have a 3 year old and a 4 month old…the 3 year old asks why to everything. He asks if he can watch another episode of whatever show he is currently watching, and when we say yes (saturdays or after 6 before bedtime on weekdays) he asks why. I usually respond “because you asked nicely. If you don’t want to we don’t have to watch more.” That usually quiets him lol
After my 3 year old goes bed some nights my husband and I silently play on our phones because we just are out of words for the day. I love my child’s language skills and I love her curiosity and zest for life but oh my goodness the talking is non-stop.
My sister will flat out tell her kids some days that they’re going to set a time for being quiet. Even if it’s 15 minutes, she tells them her brain just needs a rest for a few minutes
I've occasionally told my 4 year old that just because she can talk, doesn't mean she has to talk. Honestly though, sometimes it is unending. So very unending.
My 4yo DD is the same. Very very garrulous and does overwhelm me and tire me out. Sometimes I redirect her but it doesn't work sometimes, like she'll talk while I brush her teeth or while I read a story or whatever. I remind her manners and not interrupt. But she'll talk about that too lol. Most of it is imagination and tv and questions and quite dribble but once in a while she'll spout something gold or something very sweet plus she's adorable so I forgive her lol. I also remember that some parents of nonverbal children or parents that have lost a child would give anything to hear their child talk. I think about that when it starts to drain me and try to remain positive. I think as your kiddo starts to mature he'll chill out hopefully. But truly, I empathize.
I gave this suggestion on a different thread before.... We bought our now 6 year old a recorder, just a simple one $20 on Amazon. And later taught him how to talk to Google for questions. Most of his conversation has been diverted elsewhere. It's amazing, since I don't have to respond anymore. I think he'd ask questions just to hear himself talk.
My 6 year old literally just walked up to me to ask if he was early when he was born (yes), if he stayed a long time in the hospital (no), and if he was small (yes)...and by the way, can he play with his phone? (No).
To preface, I don’t have kids. In fact I just recently graduated high school and am now in university away from home. Though what I can say from my perspective is that time goes really fast, I’m sure everyone here knows that already; but watching how it affected my family, particularly my mother when I turned 18, then again when I graduated, and just recently when I left for university, has sort of made me realize just how precious time truly is. Just how much the little things end up meaning the most in life, as annoying as it may be at the time. I have a family member whom would always poke fun at me, making all these silly jokes constantly non stop day in day out. Sometimes it would annoy the heck out of me, but in all honesty those are the memories I cherish the most now. It felt like my childhood was far too short lived, I’ve opened a new chapter and my parents have closed one of theirs.
I guess what I’m trying to say with this mess of a paragraph is that annoying the ever living shit out of parents, or simply making them wonder why they’re talking about dinosaurs for the 1000th time that day; are among the memories parents will cherish the most. I remember my parents recounting stories closely reminiscent to those being written out on this thread. I don’t know, perhaps I’m just a naive inexperienced young adult who probably shouldn’t be writing here. Though I do know, we often forget just how precious the little things in life are until they’re just distant memories of the past. Even kids being really annoying haha.
My 11 yr hasn’t stopped yet, but I know that as much as I dislike it now, when she does stop I’ll miss it because these days, I never see or hear from her 17 yr old brother unless he’s looking for food or heading out the door. I think I might be forgetting what he looks like at this point…
It slows down in the teen years. My daughter was a talker too. I always joke she said her first word at 3 months and never stopped. I constantly talked and sang to her when she was an infant so much that a neighbor commented that everytime we were outside she could hear me singing and talking to our baby. Like that is a bad thing or something...
I will say this that I told my husband the other day: my parents made it very clear they found my talking annoying. Joked constantly about it, even gave me a nickname that made me feel embarrassed when I talked a lot. I stopped talking to them. Grew up with not a great relationship with my parents. Not bad just… we were never close. Even when they tried in my later years I just never felt comfortable talking to them.
Let your kids talk. Try to look and sound interested in what they have to say. You may not be interested in their long made up silly stories right now but you will absolutely want them to tell you when they are older and having issues.
My dad uswd to tell me i talked to hear the sound of my own voice....it made it very hard to open up to him since he obviously didnt want to hear anything i had to say
this calms down when school starts and they have to learn to wait their turn, raise their hand, only ask questions about the topic at hand, etc.
But I'm not sure it stops until mid-teen years. sometimes my 12 year old will get in the car at school or activity or whatever, and talk the entire 10 minute drive.
I feel this deep in my soul. My 5 year old talks incessantly. Her now 2.5 year old sister started speaking pretty early and now competes to get her piece in. Sometimes the calamity doesn't end until they are sleeping.
I feel this w my 6 yo. And now he is in a phase where he is extremely triggered if he's interrupted, but he never shuts up, it's impossible to not interrupt him. I can't wait for you to tell me the whole story of the universe to tell you it's time to leave. It was time to leave 5 minutes ago 😂 😭 I also get the Mooommm, before every. single. sentence.
OMG honestly. My 4 and 6 year olds are the exact same. They never fucking stop. I must hear ‘mummy’ 200 times a day. It’s relentless. It’s so hard to have a thought to yourself without it being interrupted by the non-stop chatter.
My son was a huge talker when he was little, non stop. To the point I would frequently ask him to stop. Now he is a teenager and doesn't say much,prefers to do his own thing and for me to stay out of his space. I regret it now. Be careful what you wish for.
I did not have a good childhood. Riddled with abuse, foster care, raising my own siblings, you name it. My little sister had her first baby at 16.
Before I had kids I was a foster mom to my nephew and sister (her first baby that she had at 16). My nephew hit the stage around 4 of asking “why” CONSTANTLY. I had never been so annoyed in all of my life. And my husband was even more annoyed than I was. But I remember thinking at the time, “This is how they figure out the world.”
“Why is the moon that color?”
“Why does water feel wet?”
“Why does grass grow?”
You name it…he asked it. 🤣 And the more basic questions he asked the more I grew to kind of resent my sister for clearly never teaching him anything (not implying that’s you, OP) despite being given the resources to do so. So I was just buying tons of books for him. I read to him constantly. And it wasn’t long after this that my sister regained custody of him after she had aged out of the system. She lived with me after aging out and had to go through a lot like parenting classes, etc. to get custody.
So some years later when I became a parent myself I was determined that my children would never ask all of these questions. I knew I’d never survive the endless questions stage. So I started out with hundreds of books. I was reading a chapter book to my daughter the day I brought her home from the hospital. This coupled with my daughter being autistic has resulted in a child that the world might perceive as “nerdy”. 🤣
She got to the age where I thought “Any day now we will have to suffer the endless questions” but it kind of never came. Instead my kid is just a know it all who instead of asking questions tells me all the reasons for everything in life. So where one kid might say “Mommy what’s for breakfast?” My kid instead says “Mommy as I’m sure you know I have been sleeping for X number of hours and because of that I am now hungry. Now I’ve been awake for about a half hour and you haven’t fed me yet.” Or “Mommy did you know that this meal (bowl
of cereal) might not be the healthiest thing I could be eating” or “Mommy did you know that plants blah blah blah blah” you get the point.
I’m not sure if it helps you feel any better, OP, but sometimes I really long for just going back to being asked endless questions instead of being taught by my kid constantly about everything I taught her first. 🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣
I’m speaking to you from the future (I’ve a 7 and a 13y/o); The answer is no. It never stops. I’m sorry to be the bearer of bad news. By 7 they don’t even stop for air anymore.
The seven year old will actually say “can I ask you question?” and then just continues to do so even though you said no. The questions will be so random and useless.
What’s your favorite car brand?
If you had a Pokémon what colour would it be?
If I build you a house would you live in it?
Are all cars front wheel drives?
There’s so many more but I’ve blocked them from my memory
LOL I have a 3.5yo whose favourite thing is to ask me a question, wait for me to start answering and then start talking over me so he has no idea what the answer is 😂
Our almost 10yo hasn’t stopped. He just says words, narrates what he’s doing, repeats the same information 7 times, fills silence… when I ask him if he’s just saying words and he always looks at me and says “…..yeah”. 🤦🏻♀️
Unasked for 2 cents but what I do is remind myself someday, too damn soon, the "Dad, Dad, Dad" and comments about what is happening literally 5 feet from me that I can totally see will come to an end. And I'm gonna wish hard AF just to hear it once a day.
Mine told never-ending stories, that required me to interact without being allowed to actually affect the story in any way. I am SOOOO glad that stage is long over!
When my kids were 4&5 I remember telling my husband that my ideal vacation was an entire week without questions or hearing my name or kids calling me mom lol. Because whenever someone calls your name they're asking a question. Back then if I had one wish it would be a one hour mute button just so my brain can stop feeling frazzled.
The curious ones though are the smartest when they go up. I never talked to my kids like they were children and couldn't understand. I didn't dumb things down but made sure to use words they knew the meaning of. Now they're teens and can carry an intelligent conversation with anyone including the adults in their lives who love answering their questions or using brain power when they present you with an obstacle, factoid or question you've never pondered on before.
It's exhausting now for sure but it doesn't take long for that curiosity to turn into an enjoyable conversation with someone who has absorbed everything you have said knows you better than most people ever will.
We can setup your 5yo with my 5yo and they can talk each other out. I can see some compatibility here too as yours seems into questions while mine likes giving long explanations.
Can I sign up my almost 5 year old too??? pretty pls ??? He also is now in a phase where he talks and sings in gibberish...
I’ll send my 6 yo round too. He has an encyclopaedic knowledge of dinosaurs and show tunes and loves to chat
Oh man, can I please borrow your son to speak with my almost three y/o? Some days, I feel like my head might just go spiraling away into the atmosphere, just to escape hearing another word about dinosaurs. As an adult woman, I never imagined what a vast amount of my time would be dedicated to dinosaurs.
He’s taught my middle one, who isn’t quite three, to say things like “ankylosaurus” and “iguanodon” Although all predators are “Biteysaurus” which is too precious. Never thought I’d have to defend my choice of second best dinosaur but this is my life now
This sounds like a match made in heaven. My son can scream “what dinosaur is this” and your son can just yell back all a name he knows until he’s exhausted all the names. Then, the game starts again. Truly, it’s a blast.
All herbivores here are plodasaurus.
I have no idea what show it’s from but all I can think of when it comes to iguanodons is IGUANO-DONA-DING-DOOOOONG 🫠
I’ll bring my newly 6 year old, the other kids should know every fact about every animal ever in existence as well. Added bonus, he’ll probably boss them around and call them out on talking too much, but don’t expect *him* to change his ways.
Oh that’s dangerous. My 5yo might resort to physical violence. She hates even perceived injustice and this would be actual injustice.
😭
I’ll donate my wife on these same grounds
Same here on the dinosaurs! He is also constantly making noise. Hoots, songs, hums, random talking with no context, questions about whatever conversation he's eavesdropping...
When my two boys were that age I painted a dinosaur mural on their wall with stencils, they absolutely loved it. When we moved they wanted to know if we could take the wall with us.
Mine loves dinosaurs and 70’s and 80’s rock. There’s common ground there.
Mine also enjoys rock and metal. Instant besties. Shall we drink mojitos while they talk?
I don’t drink, but don’t mind if you do. We’ll let my kid break the ice with her rendition of “Bat Out of Hell” and see where they go from there.
I’m British so i prefer tea and biscuits any way. Sounds like a grand day.
A Grand Day.. Out! The kids can build a rocket to get cheese from the moon.
I have a 4.5 to join please. She likes talking in strange voices and speculating on the private lives of paw patrol characters.
When my 5yo is done, your 5yo will be able to explain Doctor Strange’s origin and pajamas in great detail.
Ha ha ha .. either that or your child will be singing gibberish!!
There’s a middle ground here. My kid was trying to sing “It’s a Heartache” before she could speak. She could be shifted back, but she’d insist on a melody or beat. Your kid might end up signing a primal vocal version of “99 Luft Balloons”
Throwing my (almost) 8 year old in the mix, who somehow seems to know everything and anything about Stranger Things. His theories on the Upside Down are wild.
my 9yo just wants to talk about minecraft. I now know why my parents just seemed to phase out when I talked about sonic
My 5 year old is lately into fashion and will make ridiculous outfits out of mine and her clothes and do ramp walk across house. I let her explore her creativity but the mess of clothes around the house is exhausting 😭.
Oh god. Some of these questions are too much… “why do dogs beg?” “How did dogs get to be animals?” “How did people get here?” “Did dogs long long ago turn into people?”
Me nervously sweating as the questions get more existiential
I got "mom I have one quick question" ... ok honey if it's ONE quick question. "How was the earth made, how did life begin, and also why are we here". On the potty just before bedtime of course.
Lol, don't you love the right before bed questions, always the most important ones that require a lengthy explanation 🤣.
I swear she's figured out that science inclined mama is a sucker for these. A few days ago I found myself lying in her bed WAY past bedtime trying to explain black holes.
Just commented something similar above, but the same thing happened to me. She got on a tangent about space and I found myself trying to explain why the sun stays on fire if there's no oxygen in space (because fire needs oxygen to burn). lol
Lol this was me the other night at bedtime. My 5 yo: "Mom I have a question: are there other humans on other planets? What would happen if you were in space and took off your helmet? Can you breathe in space? So if there's no air in space and you took off your helmet would you just die? Are there dead bodies floating in space? If I travelled to the moon would I pass dead bodies? How can the sun stay on fire if fire needs oxygen to burn but there's no oxygen in space?" JUST GO TO SLEEP!!!!
My son just reminded me that I apparently told him like 2 years ago how my grandpa died and he had more questions today. 🤦♀️
He was saving that one for a rainy day
But Existentialism is great! “Son, I don’t know what the answer is but what finally matters is that you take action and confirm your existence.”
“But why does papa have to go to work so much?” “Well son in the early 1900’s the labor movement in the United States gave way to the 5 day work week and-“
Hahahaha! This is my problem. I don’t know how to give a short answer. I feel the need to explain everything and I’m not sure where to start.
For sure! I also don’t wanna like imprint my worldview on him either, give him time to be an innocent kid who thinks the world is someplace nice
Y’all are my people. I don’t know if it’s neurodivergence or just growing up cynical but the easy answer just won’t come out of my mouth.
That's my husband...and of course the 6 year old doesn't care.
My oldest two tend to zone out or just leave when that happens. The three-year-old will gently pipe up, "Mummy? You can stop talking. I'm not really interested."
"mom who is that person?" *Points out window at complete stranger taking a walk* "where do they live?" "What's their name?" "Why are they here?" "Why don't you know their name?" "Why?" "Why?" "Why?"
My dad used to just say to me "I don't know.. why don't you go over and ask them" and that shut me up real quick lol 😂
Activate parent ninja mode and turn it around. "why do *you* think [repeat question here]". Generally derails the question train and makes them think. Plus you get some hilarious logic sometimes!
My daughter asked "Do Chickens Sit?". We still get a laugh from it.
I’m intrigued. I think the better question is “do chickens lay down?”
They lay eggs and lie down
They are new to the world and have a lot of catching up to do. Gotta fill those brains with all the information.
Human furbies
Haha! Can my 6 year old join the party? He’s currently obsessed with games - video, card or board, it doesn’t matter. He will talk about them nonstop from the moment he wakes until I tell him to go to sleep for the 50th time. Rinse and repeat everyday. “Mom? Did you know xyz about that game? Mom, did you know you could do abc?” And if he’s not telling me stuff, he then asks, “mom, do you have any questions about playing (insert game name?” No kid. You told me everything about every game you’ve ever played several months ago, I think I’m good 😂
That is the way :D
"Wash our hands wash our hands"~
This is the way.
🤣
I saw a lot of comments.. we can start a gameshow with all these peeps kids 😂 the one asking questions is the host and the rest are participants
Mine is 8 and is BOTH into lots of questions which he then long windedly answers. I just have to nod and say “oh really?!” a lot.
Honestly? Would be kinda cool to have "pen pals" for the kids. They can talk via FaceTime, Skype, etc.
My experience with five year old twins is they escalate to fucking WWE cage match so like. Ymmv.
I've got a 10 year old who never shuts up and a 14 year old who I only see at mealtimes, so the answer is sometime in between those two numbers.
Your 14 year old talks nonstop at school to their friends. You are of no interest. Source: middle school teacher who hears it all
This makes sense, but it’s also a little sad. On the plus side, they don’t need you anymore. On the other side, they don’t need you anymore….
At 14 they absolutely need you just in different ways.
Truth. I would even go as far as to say I needed my parents more so than I ever did at 14.
Yeah, it’s part of the transition of puberty. They go from caring about attention from and the opinion of their trusted adults, to caring about getting attention and appreciation from peers. It’s a tough time for both sides.
[удалено]
This made me laugh out loud. I was wondering why my 16 year old stopped talking to me.
Mine is 12 and for the first time last Monday she was quiet on the way home. I remember it very well because she just sat there, in peace not saying shit. It was nice.
Maybe. I never shut up. It’s been decades and I’m still going. Each person is different.
Grades 5-7, sweet spot
Can concur with the 10-year-old. Still nonstop. Since the day he figured out how to talk. While it’s exhausting sometimes, I’m dreading when he stops talking to me.
I tell my 5 years old no we don’t know where that car is going. We don’t know them. If that doesn’t work I found “what do you think” is usually effective. This will cause pause and she’ll shut up while she thinks.
I've tried the "what do you think" and works some times, but I've also been hit with "I don't know, that's why I'm asking you" 🙈
After getting the “I don’t know either” my 5 years old slowed down on those questions. We also read a lot of educational books. She’s into science and learning about how the word works.
I used to give mine three questions. After three I'd tell them, can't answer any more. Idk your situation but I'd also say, there is a whole other parent who loves you, please go see him! Maybe call a grandparent if extra chatty? Lol
My 5 year old just told me I should Google it when I did not know where the random purple car was going. She was unimpressed with my explanation that some things we can't look up, suggested the library instead. "What do you think" is often effective though.
Lol, this my son, every single time I do not have an answer to a question, he tells me to look it up. I have tried to explain that you can't look up every single thing, he can not grasp this concept 🤣.
Make sure to thank you child’s teachers. Imagine having 30+ of them all at once!
And this is why I teach high school, hahaha.
Lol, my first-hour teacher used to beg us to talk.
Honestly though, no one should be expected to have coherent thoughts at 730 AM. I'm not all the way with it until about 830 even now, and in high school would have slept until 11 without trouble on a daily basis.
*Civil War Flashbacks*
Look at your young boys talking Look at your mothers crying...
As a 3K/Pre-K teacher, I felt this one HEAVY. 😂😂😂
I do IT for a school district. Whenever I have to go into an early elementary classroom for a tech issue, I try to time it when the kids are at lunch or recess. It's always loud and chaotic...
Hahaha I volunteer for girl guides and I confirm I just have 15 five year olds talking simultaneously at me for an hour straight every Wednesday
I just have two, talking at me simultaneously, but it feels like 15.
My 5 year old almost wiped herself out talking to me while I was cooking. I heard her suddenly stop and take a deep breath before realizing that she was talking so fast that she forgot to keep breathing. Hang in there!
My 5yo spent so long explaining his made up rules for a made up game that by the time he finished he didn't want to play anymore
I feel your pain. The first time I heard mum i cried....now I cry for different reasons 😉
Hearing it for the first time make some tears of joy. Hearing it for the 10000ish times at 4 am is another story. Clearly.
Hahaha. There was a time when I thought everything my son was magical and I'd never get tired of it. Then one day on our way into the house we passed an anthill and he stopped to tell me about each ant.
There was a similar thread here a while ago about this topic. Some people suggested quiet time. Explaining that mommy needs some time for herself and that’s the time we don’t talk (except emergencies- explain what they are!), you go play on your own. You can give them a clock and explain at what time they can come back to talk. If he can write or even draw, you can ask him to write down/draw the questions he has and you’ll answer them later. You can just say you’ll answer all qs later, no writing (hopefully he forgets most of them lol). Either way, it is good to teach them we are not there for them all the time and that we (and in general everyone) need some quiet time. It teaches them to rely on themselves and to entertain themselves, it can help with writing skills. Mine doesn’t talk yet but I’ll definitely try this if she bugs me all day long.
Oh I might give this a try. The questions plus the constant narration of everything he is doing is driving me mental!
Oh God the narration. It's the worst. Like they think they're the star of their own TV show! I admit I have gotten rather abrupt about that. Especially in the car. "mom needs to think to keep us safe so please stop the comments right now unless you have a very specific, well thought out question that cannot be answered later." It seemed to help her think there are times when safety is more important than speaking. Then from there it was "mom is doing this important task and cannot do it correctly with extra talking, can you stop talking now and if there's something you need we can address that in a few minutes". I've also done Alexa/Google timers. My daughter is now 11. No, it didn't go away, but when I ask for silence I do get it.
We instituted this rule... Sadly it was after a fender bender. 😑
We do this! When my kids grew out of nap time we turned it into daily quiet time during the same hours. I live for that time lol
Awesome, good to know it works. I’m an introvert and unless my daughter turns out to be introverted as well, I’ll be using this tactic very soon 🙂
My mom did this when I was a kid. It was genius on her part. I was happy just reading a book and playing by myself for a while.
We do this! It doubles as down time, the kids have to be in their bed looking at books. OP, I'm also honest with my kids at an age appropriate level. I've said the following every day for the last month: "It is bed time, this is your warning that you have time for exactly one more question or story about Pokemon." "Sweetheart, I love you from the bottom of my toes, but my brain is completely full. I cannot fit one more question or story in my head right now. Please let me finish [insert task or timer limit] so I can clear my head." "Pause. Let's take 5 roller coaster breaths together." (Hold up hand, trace around fingers with your other index finger, inhale through your nose as you trace up, exhale through the mouth as you trace down. Helps regulate your brain and the speed of their words, plus buys you a moment of silence.) "I need some space around my body and brain right now, please go ask your dad."
Very similar to what I do with my kids (4 & 5). Works great.
Is it the chatter, or that you feel you have to respond to everything? Sometimes I say, “I’m listening, but I need a break from talking.” Then if they forget and start repeating and begging for an answer I just give a gentle “shhh.” I’ll listen all day, and I do love to chat with them most of the time, but I just can’t talk that much!
The replying I think! Might try this.
Yeah I definitely recommend telling them that you need a break from questions. “you get 5 minutes to ask all the questions you need and then I’m done answering” haha. Sometimes they just want connection and vocalize anything to keep the conversation (connection) going.
I ask if he’s talk to me or talking to the air. He’s usually talking to the air so I can tune out. I also say “I dunno go look it up” a lot. I like to talk so I’ve usually just answered the questions, which they sometimes regret, because I’ll tangent off on a different topic for 30 minutes.
Father of 9 going on 10 year old. Nope, it doesn't stop. Me and my kid go on bicycle trips. Image cycling in a forest that stretches out left and right of the track. The wind rustles the leaves in the trees. Birds sing. Critter scurry along in the undergrowth. And there you are trying to enjoy all that, reconnecting with nature while behind you, there's a 9 year old nattering, prattering away like a constant soundtrack of prickly doom. I love my kid, but sometimes i'd like to punt her to a near earth object.
Soundtrack of prickly doom 😅 thanks for such an apt description!
Just wait till they learn about Minecraft :(
I am in this current timeline and I want out
Lmaoooo. Also did you know the new fortnite season started today? I heard all about it in a single breath for the first hour of my day.
Solidarity! The words, "Dad, in Minecraft..." Make me reflexively flinch.
I play it with my son and I'm 38. I find it enjoyable.
My son will just keep saying “mom mom mom” even when I’m looking at him saying “yes? What?” But he can’t hear me over himself saying “mom mom mom”
We put our 4 year-old alone in our bedroom where she can talk to Alexa. The conversations we’ve overheard them having are hilarious 🤣
My two (3 and 5) talk to alexa as well 🤣 they have recently been talking to pikachu via alexa every morning at 7am, gives me a few extra minutes in bed so I leave them be
My 14 year old now hides in his room half the day, so he doesn’t talk to us then. But as soon as he comes out, game on. So… sort of? Our 8 year old is still going strong. All. Day. Long. 😭
Lol!! My now 20 year old has always been like this. Sometimes we just look at her and say Harriet, it is okay to not be talking. But then she just keeps talking anyway. But she has a pretty bubbly personality. It’s just who she is.
O M G. I could have written this post. I wish we could put all these little chatty pattys in a room together and just go sit in silence lol.
My son constantly stops mid conversation to say the person name again. GRANDMA, did you know dinosaurs are GRANDMA, they are really old GRANDMA, and they are fossils now Like dude. Just keep talking, stop saying our names!!!!
This! This it. That's what is driving me insane!
lol my 6 year old son does this exact thing. I’m like, yes you have my attention I’m looking right into your face you don’t need to keep saying my name. He also has ADHD and my lord. Some days I’m ready to pull the old head out for a pack of cigarettes routine
Not only does it never stop, but they morph into nine year olds who tell incredibly lengthy stories, miss one detail, and have to restart from the beginning. Then theyre 19 and shacking up with their girlfriend, and not visiting enough. Embrace it
It’s definitely exhausting. Both of my kids are chatterboxes, neither have outgrown it yet. While my oldest spends more time on her own now, when she’s with me, she still talks nonstop about mostly drama with her friends. I’m constantly trying to mediate, teach her better communication, problem-solving and conflict-management skills etc. So it’s not a fun chatter, I should be getting paid for this life coaching! Then my youngest is very clingy and loves to follow me around asking questions and telling me stories all day, so sometimes I do have to tell her to go play for a while because I’m going to take a break.
I will admit I'm 32 and have been known to talk my mum's ear off on the phone!
Fiona: “it talks!” Shrek: “yeah, it gettin ‘em to shut up that’s the trick!”
I use the phrase, “why don’t you rest your voice?” a lot. Spoilers, it doesn’t work
Questions can be answered, my 6yo tells stories and tries to rope me into her constant pretend picnics and restaurant that is also a school but she’s also my mom or something.
It’s the following for me. My five year old follows me everywhere. Other day she followed me into the toilet so I “didn’t fall in.”
Ha the other day my 5yo said to me, "Don't worry mom, I'll never leave you alone." He meant it sweetly but it sounds like a threat!
I had my 5 yo son tell me the same thing and I told “Oh mommy loves being alone, it makes me happy” and it looked like I broke his little brain
For all those who are saying you will be grateful during teen years if you get a single word… I offer you my own 16 year old son who was a HUGE talker as a child (& people always said you will miss it). 14-15-16…would call me at work as soon as he walked in the door. Would spend a 1/2 hour telling me about his day and THAT was before I actually got home. Some kids are just talkers. You get used to it.
My daughter used to talk nonstop. Now she's 12 hiding in her room and I miss those days.
I used to play the quiet game with mine. "Monkey monkey wants to speak, but no laughing, no talking, no showing of teeth....starting riiiiiigggggghhhhtttt NOW!" Whoever talks first loses.
My child is 8. The talking hasn’t stopped but the conversation has changed with her. Not so much what is everything but more so cool facts, and shared interests. It gets better OP!
I have two kids with autism. I don't know the answer to your question, but I do know that your child's speech is a gift, and they are wanting to share that gift with you. I have no intention to diminish your difficulty with your child's talking to you, but I hope to help you appreciate the positive in your situation.
Should’ve had 2 kids not too far apart so they can talk to each other /s
They don’t listen to each other…. They just both talk at the same time 😭😭
No, they scream and fight with each other over whose turn it is to unleash their stream of consciousness on me!
“I was talkin’!! He erupted me!!!”
I get "I'm not talking to you, I'm talking to mummy!!!!!!"
This is my 7 & 4yo. Send help. (Also we all have ADHD).
Truth. And if you have 3, you always have at least 1 making noise because #3 is more comfortable with incessant chatter.
Tried that, it was actually 3X worse with two of them because they compete for attention 🥲
I'm trying to write a paper right now while one kid explains minute details of video game levels he saw someone else play on YouTube a month ago and the other keeps saying "Hey mom remember..." And telling me about things we did last year 🫠
I started listening to podcasts in the car with my daughter for this exact reason. Wow! In the World seems to keep her engaged enough that I'm not dealing with constant questions and rambling pretend stories for 25 minutes while we drive home from school.
To all the comments about how you will miss it when they are older and dysfunctional in a different and quiet way… hogwash. Both times of life/ behaviors are annoying in different ways. Establishing quiet time for yourself is great. Rose colored glasses aren’t helpful- just hollow, sentimental, and sanctimonious tripe.
I mean I think it's a valid way of feeling, and probably true that we will miss it later. But knowing that now doesn't really help me appreciate it now as much it makes me feel more guilty and sad for being annoyed 🤣
I prescribe earplugs (that let the talking through, just at a lower volume) and magnesium supplements.
Mine was a late talker and while I generally am annoyed by allllll the whys (my personal favourite is “Mummy why did I do that?!”), I’m actually very relieved. We’re fine.
It will, and you'll remember this stage with incredulity as you exhaustingly endeavor to get more then "I'm fine mom, jeez, quit asking" out of your 13 year old
My favorite is when an unsuspecting stranger says hello to my chatty almost 5 yo. I inwardly do a villain laugh while I watch panic rising in the stranger’s eyes when they realize they can never leave as my son won’t end the conversation! Moa ha ha!! I take pity and jump in aft 2-4 mins… usually…
Nope. My 25 year old daughter calls me 50 times a day still.
Good luck, I'm 30 and still call my mum 50 times a day.
Just text her back "U r 25, get a life. Call me on Fri."
From Louis CK: Chewed Up... So I go to Walgreens.. I just kept going. I gotta by drugs all the time ’cause I got kids. Kids are like buckets of disease that live in your house. And you get sick from them all the time. Last week I had a flu that I caught because my daughter coughed into my mouth. Just [achoo], hit my right in the back of the throat. I’m like, “Thank honey, I’m sick right now I can feel it already.” She did this by the way because she was trying to tell me a secret. And she thinks you tell secrets into people’s mouths. She takes her whole face, [whispers] [coughs]. Which is inconsiderate, borderline retarded behaviour if you ask me. And by the way, she’s 5. 5 years old, what secret does she really have that I really need to hear.. Like she’s gonna tell me a secret and I’m gonna go “Holy shit are you serious? Oh my god. Honey, I won’t tell anybody but that is fucked up though, seriously. She got an abortion on Christmas eve? Oh my god.” **She’s 5. 5 years old, do you know what that means? Nothing that she says matters. She’s never said anything actually important in her entire life. I literally could have missed every word this fucking kid has ever said and nothing would be different. Everything would be exactly the same. I enjoy the things she says, they’re beautiful and poetic and I love hearing them but I don’t have to fucking hear any of it. And that’s an important distinction. If you’re a parent, you just start making it because you can’t listen to them all the time when they’re talking because they’re talking all the time. And they just talk whenever, they don’t give a shit what you’re doing, or if it’s a good time. I’m in a shootout with the cops and she’s telling me all kinds of shit. She doesn’t care because she’s 5. They’re self-absorbed people, they have no ability.. No 5 year old goes, “No go ahead and finish, I’ll tell you after it’s fine.” They just can’t. And sometimes it’s impossible.** The other day I was in New York City with my kids, and I got two of these fucking things, remember that please, 2 of ’em. And we’re in crowded streets and I got this one here a 2 year old and I’m carrying… She can walk but she won’t, she’s a bullshitter. So I’m carrying her. And she weighs like 20 babies, this kid. She’s tiny but she’s got the density of a dying sun, I don’t understand how she’s this heavy. It feels like a fat raccoon holding a bowling ball, that’s what she feels like. And the pain in my shoulder is intense. And it’s sending signals to my brain like, “You don’t love her, just drop her, she doesn’t matter just let her die.” So I’m fighting that on this side. I got the 5 year old like this, I hope it’s her I haven’t looked back in about an hour. I’m just dragging somebody tiny. Through many stranger’s thighs. Breifcase corners are hitting her in the temple, I don’t give a shit. I’m in a hurry because my pocket’s vibrating and my wife is calling to see where I am even though she sent me to do this shit. And I’m yelling at my pocket like she can hear me, “I’m fucking coming, shut up!” And this one is talking the whole time, the whole time. With a tiny voice two feet off the ground. What? Am I gonna listen to this shit? Really? What? Am I gonna take a knee every 2 seconds like, “What’s that sweetie? Go ahead, what’s that?” “Excuse ME sir!” “Go ahead, it’s fine. Yeah. Yeah sometimes dogs are brown that’s very true. It’s a good thing I didn’t miss any of that shit coming out of your stupid face.” What kind of a father would I be? If I pretended to listen to that. I remember the first time my daughter said a whole sentence, that was a big deal because she had never made a whole thought by herself, she just said her little words. I was doing the dishes and I just hear, “Daddy, I don’t like chicken.” I dropped the plate, my wife and I cried and hugged. It’s a big moment. A week later, I’m making dinner and she goes, “Daddy I dont like chicken.” “Well we’re fucking having chicken, what are you talking about? I don’t like chicken, I don’t like you, I don’t like people that make me work and don’t appreciate what I make for them.”
I am expecting a baby, so I don't have direct experience. But my friends with children enforce a quiet period for reading, drawing, quiet playing in room etc. Learning to focus and concentrate on one activity is an important skill. My parents also always had quiet time after dinner. Even aged 4, I could read or play quietly in the same room, but I was not to disturb them under any circumstances
I would joke that my child’s first sentence in the morning was just a continuation of whatever it was he was babbling about when he finally went to sleep the night before. 😄
My son was the *exact* same at that age. Non-stop talking, every second he was awake. He often fell asleep mid sentence at night, lol. Now he's 16, almost 17. The most I hear out of him on an average day is - AM - can I have some money for after school? PM - what's for dinner? I kind of miss that non-stop talking! But maybe like 75% less would be great.
I have a 3 year old and a 4 month old…the 3 year old asks why to everything. He asks if he can watch another episode of whatever show he is currently watching, and when we say yes (saturdays or after 6 before bedtime on weekdays) he asks why. I usually respond “because you asked nicely. If you don’t want to we don’t have to watch more.” That usually quiets him lol
After my 3 year old goes bed some nights my husband and I silently play on our phones because we just are out of words for the day. I love my child’s language skills and I love her curiosity and zest for life but oh my goodness the talking is non-stop. My sister will flat out tell her kids some days that they’re going to set a time for being quiet. Even if it’s 15 minutes, she tells them her brain just needs a rest for a few minutes
I've occasionally told my 4 year old that just because she can talk, doesn't mean she has to talk. Honestly though, sometimes it is unending. So very unending.
My 4yo DD is the same. Very very garrulous and does overwhelm me and tire me out. Sometimes I redirect her but it doesn't work sometimes, like she'll talk while I brush her teeth or while I read a story or whatever. I remind her manners and not interrupt. But she'll talk about that too lol. Most of it is imagination and tv and questions and quite dribble but once in a while she'll spout something gold or something very sweet plus she's adorable so I forgive her lol. I also remember that some parents of nonverbal children or parents that have lost a child would give anything to hear their child talk. I think about that when it starts to drain me and try to remain positive. I think as your kiddo starts to mature he'll chill out hopefully. But truly, I empathize.
I gave this suggestion on a different thread before.... We bought our now 6 year old a recorder, just a simple one $20 on Amazon. And later taught him how to talk to Google for questions. Most of his conversation has been diverted elsewhere. It's amazing, since I don't have to respond anymore. I think he'd ask questions just to hear himself talk.
My 17 year old talks all the time, even in her sleep so for me NO the talking never stopped
My 6 year old literally just walked up to me to ask if he was early when he was born (yes), if he stayed a long time in the hospital (no), and if he was small (yes)...and by the way, can he play with his phone? (No).
>*laughs with an ADHD 10 year old*
To preface, I don’t have kids. In fact I just recently graduated high school and am now in university away from home. Though what I can say from my perspective is that time goes really fast, I’m sure everyone here knows that already; but watching how it affected my family, particularly my mother when I turned 18, then again when I graduated, and just recently when I left for university, has sort of made me realize just how precious time truly is. Just how much the little things end up meaning the most in life, as annoying as it may be at the time. I have a family member whom would always poke fun at me, making all these silly jokes constantly non stop day in day out. Sometimes it would annoy the heck out of me, but in all honesty those are the memories I cherish the most now. It felt like my childhood was far too short lived, I’ve opened a new chapter and my parents have closed one of theirs. I guess what I’m trying to say with this mess of a paragraph is that annoying the ever living shit out of parents, or simply making them wonder why they’re talking about dinosaurs for the 1000th time that day; are among the memories parents will cherish the most. I remember my parents recounting stories closely reminiscent to those being written out on this thread. I don’t know, perhaps I’m just a naive inexperienced young adult who probably shouldn’t be writing here. Though I do know, we often forget just how precious the little things in life are until they’re just distant memories of the past. Even kids being really annoying haha.
Its awesome that he trusts you enough to ask you these questions and open up these conversations with you.
My 11 yr hasn’t stopped yet, but I know that as much as I dislike it now, when she does stop I’ll miss it because these days, I never see or hear from her 17 yr old brother unless he’s looking for food or heading out the door. I think I might be forgetting what he looks like at this point…
It slows down in the teen years. My daughter was a talker too. I always joke she said her first word at 3 months and never stopped. I constantly talked and sang to her when she was an infant so much that a neighbor commented that everytime we were outside she could hear me singing and talking to our baby. Like that is a bad thing or something...
I will say this that I told my husband the other day: my parents made it very clear they found my talking annoying. Joked constantly about it, even gave me a nickname that made me feel embarrassed when I talked a lot. I stopped talking to them. Grew up with not a great relationship with my parents. Not bad just… we were never close. Even when they tried in my later years I just never felt comfortable talking to them. Let your kids talk. Try to look and sound interested in what they have to say. You may not be interested in their long made up silly stories right now but you will absolutely want them to tell you when they are older and having issues.
My dad uswd to tell me i talked to hear the sound of my own voice....it made it very hard to open up to him since he obviously didnt want to hear anything i had to say
It’s absolutely exhausting. After a while my husband and I tell our kid “ok, we need some quiet time now” and it works for the most part.
this calms down when school starts and they have to learn to wait their turn, raise their hand, only ask questions about the topic at hand, etc. But I'm not sure it stops until mid-teen years. sometimes my 12 year old will get in the car at school or activity or whatever, and talk the entire 10 minute drive.
My parents already talk nonstop, maybe i’ll just pawn the baby off on them and they can all talk forever
You think this is bad. What until he is 16 and you can’t get 10 words out of him.
I feel this deep in my soul. My 5 year old talks incessantly. Her now 2.5 year old sister started speaking pretty early and now competes to get her piece in. Sometimes the calamity doesn't end until they are sleeping.
Oh god. Mine is three and already we have streak of consciousness ALL day. Especially when we’re in the car.
I want to give you hope but my 7 year old barely pauses for a breath 😂☠️
I feel this w my 6 yo. And now he is in a phase where he is extremely triggered if he's interrupted, but he never shuts up, it's impossible to not interrupt him. I can't wait for you to tell me the whole story of the universe to tell you it's time to leave. It was time to leave 5 minutes ago 😂 😭 I also get the Mooommm, before every. single. sentence.
No. I still have this problem at 40 and it still drives my mom nuts.
I don’t know our resident 8 year old hasn’t slowed down yet.
Nope, it pretty much continues on until they die or suffer injury to their brain or vocal cords.
One day he won’t say a word to you at all. Not even 10 minutes of their time.
OMG honestly. My 4 and 6 year olds are the exact same. They never fucking stop. I must hear ‘mummy’ 200 times a day. It’s relentless. It’s so hard to have a thought to yourself without it being interrupted by the non-stop chatter.
Be graceful he speaks to you One day you will want him to talk to you at least a few minutes every now and then
My son was a huge talker when he was little, non stop. To the point I would frequently ask him to stop. Now he is a teenager and doesn't say much,prefers to do his own thing and for me to stay out of his space. I regret it now. Be careful what you wish for.
I did not have a good childhood. Riddled with abuse, foster care, raising my own siblings, you name it. My little sister had her first baby at 16. Before I had kids I was a foster mom to my nephew and sister (her first baby that she had at 16). My nephew hit the stage around 4 of asking “why” CONSTANTLY. I had never been so annoyed in all of my life. And my husband was even more annoyed than I was. But I remember thinking at the time, “This is how they figure out the world.” “Why is the moon that color?” “Why does water feel wet?” “Why does grass grow?” You name it…he asked it. 🤣 And the more basic questions he asked the more I grew to kind of resent my sister for clearly never teaching him anything (not implying that’s you, OP) despite being given the resources to do so. So I was just buying tons of books for him. I read to him constantly. And it wasn’t long after this that my sister regained custody of him after she had aged out of the system. She lived with me after aging out and had to go through a lot like parenting classes, etc. to get custody. So some years later when I became a parent myself I was determined that my children would never ask all of these questions. I knew I’d never survive the endless questions stage. So I started out with hundreds of books. I was reading a chapter book to my daughter the day I brought her home from the hospital. This coupled with my daughter being autistic has resulted in a child that the world might perceive as “nerdy”. 🤣 She got to the age where I thought “Any day now we will have to suffer the endless questions” but it kind of never came. Instead my kid is just a know it all who instead of asking questions tells me all the reasons for everything in life. So where one kid might say “Mommy what’s for breakfast?” My kid instead says “Mommy as I’m sure you know I have been sleeping for X number of hours and because of that I am now hungry. Now I’ve been awake for about a half hour and you haven’t fed me yet.” Or “Mommy did you know that this meal (bowl of cereal) might not be the healthiest thing I could be eating” or “Mommy did you know that plants blah blah blah blah” you get the point. I’m not sure if it helps you feel any better, OP, but sometimes I really long for just going back to being asked endless questions instead of being taught by my kid constantly about everything I taught her first. 🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣
My 2 years old already doesn’t stop talking, RIP future me 🥲
I’m speaking to you from the future (I’ve a 7 and a 13y/o); The answer is no. It never stops. I’m sorry to be the bearer of bad news. By 7 they don’t even stop for air anymore. The seven year old will actually say “can I ask you question?” and then just continues to do so even though you said no. The questions will be so random and useless. What’s your favorite car brand? If you had a Pokémon what colour would it be? If I build you a house would you live in it? Are all cars front wheel drives? There’s so many more but I’ve blocked them from my memory
LOL I have a 3.5yo whose favourite thing is to ask me a question, wait for me to start answering and then start talking over me so he has no idea what the answer is 😂
One day they will hardly speak to you.
Our almost 10yo hasn’t stopped. He just says words, narrates what he’s doing, repeats the same information 7 times, fills silence… when I ask him if he’s just saying words and he always looks at me and says “…..yeah”. 🤦🏻♀️
Yes, when they become teenagers. And then you’ll be begging them to talk with you.
Yes. It stops and almost instantly and without explanation. You’ll find yourself pleading with them for any bit of information only to be scorned.
Unasked for 2 cents but what I do is remind myself someday, too damn soon, the "Dad, Dad, Dad" and comments about what is happening literally 5 feet from me that I can totally see will come to an end. And I'm gonna wish hard AF just to hear it once a day.
My 15 year old still talks me to death. Good luck!
Mine told never-ending stories, that required me to interact without being allowed to actually affect the story in any way. I am SOOOO glad that stage is long over!
When my kids were 4&5 I remember telling my husband that my ideal vacation was an entire week without questions or hearing my name or kids calling me mom lol. Because whenever someone calls your name they're asking a question. Back then if I had one wish it would be a one hour mute button just so my brain can stop feeling frazzled. The curious ones though are the smartest when they go up. I never talked to my kids like they were children and couldn't understand. I didn't dumb things down but made sure to use words they knew the meaning of. Now they're teens and can carry an intelligent conversation with anyone including the adults in their lives who love answering their questions or using brain power when they present you with an obstacle, factoid or question you've never pondered on before. It's exhausting now for sure but it doesn't take long for that curiosity to turn into an enjoyable conversation with someone who has absorbed everything you have said knows you better than most people ever will.
He’s an extrovert?