to find my son taking on other kids body language/habits VERY annoying !

[doley]

My youngest son is 7 ,my eldest is 12 and has a friend that DS7 loves to copy !

All the facial expressions ,ALL the body shapes EVERYTHING !

Unfortunately this 12 year old walks around with a hunched back (affectation ) (they all do it at school here for some reason
and a sticky out neck shape ,making him look like a letter L !!
It also comes with a pointy finger shape that comes out of the side of his ear when he is asking a question .

This kid only has to visit for 5 mins and DS7 has lapped it all up .

On my sons friend I don't mind ,and I like the boy :)

On my son ...I really hate it.

I suspect I am being unreasonable ...but it really annoys me ...I want my kid to behave like himself :)

So ...time for blinkers ? or what ?

YABabitU - it's all about fitting in. Mirroring body language makes you more acceptable to the other person, so that they'll like you. That's all he's doing - I bet he stops when the other child isn't there any more, doesn't he?

No ,....he sometimes takes ages to stop :( lol !

Get used to it - it'll get worse! They all do it

Oh ,I guess I was lucky with my 12 yr old :)

I will just have to get used to it ...

I'm now imagining an L-shaped neck boy with some weird finger action and a slouchy posture ......................... I can't picture it but I wish I could!

"It also comes with a pointy finger shape that comes out of the side of his ear when he is asking a question ." OP, I worked out the L shaped posture, but can you explain the above a bit more?

And YANBU, btw! but I fear it is something I may just have to tolerate, too. DS is 6 and told me he hurt his nuts at school.....

my son has facial expressions that are the image of his father (my ex). it makes me want to close my eyes and not look at him. thats putting it politely. i wish i didn't feel like that cos it's my lovely boy but he is half his father and we're going through a tricky phase where i currently think he is a bell-end.

So is the "L" upright or on it's side.
This is important to my understanding.

Mine keeps picking up American accents, I don't know where from because he doesn't know anyone with one. It's really grating on me at the moment!

at this thread. Think it's the funniest one I've read yet. Not laughing at your son OP, just imagining all this kids at the school walking round like it.

Please can you explain the finger and ear thing? I'm trying to picture this, but really struggling.

I thought my DDs3 had brought a foreign lass home the other day but she was talking to her pal on the skpe I think she is starting to channel bloody Rhianne. DD2 sounds like someone from California and DD1 has started calling me Mother instead of Mam talking like a twonk and saying she wants her hair done like Kate Middleton.

My DSs are still fairly normal for round here

Ok,so it is very hard to explain :)

The pointy finger comes out of his ear ...a bit to the side ~like the arms on glasses ???

The L shape is up-side down too now ,a bit like the number 7 !

Oh,Elenstone as I am in the states the questions are also coming out with a American accent too

Sounds funny doesn't it ?

It really is ...and so annoying to boot .

I get the number 7 part but still not getting the finger and ear thing. How do you get a finger to come out of your ear? I wish I could see this, sounds hilarious. (Although I understand it's probably not so funny when your DS is doing it all the time)

My dd1 stamped her feet the other day, then crossed her arms and humphed because I wouldn't buy her a comic. She is 3! She must be copying thus from nursery, those urchins sullying my little cherub

chocadoodle it is to the side ,flat ...he just moves the tip ~in a wagging kind of style lol !

It does look funny ...I must admit ,must find some patience soon ....

I'm crap at visualising unless I see an image! Sorry OP - I may well resort to plasticine!!

Post a video! :)

Think of it as him growing independent. You don't notice how much of what you think of as his personality, his body language and little sayings and jokes, is actually taken on from you. Experimenting with copying other people is an important step on his way to developing his own independent personality.

I often feel I missed out on this step: I prided myself of being fiercely independent of my school mates, and didn't realise until later it was because I was so completely dominated by my parents. Not in a negative sense, they are lovely people, but I was just too impressed by them: I still find it really difficult to have an opinion or a habit that they would think strange or not approve of. I'd have been far better off taking on a more varied range in my younger days.

So, yes, I find ds' slurred t's highly annoying- but I'm glad he feels he can.

cory Thank you for sharing this :)

Actually, it rings a little true for me too ~I guess something from my past ?

I am really trying to keep an open mind ...you know how you it is though ....