To worry we're raising an annoying child

[MolliciousIntent]

I'm sleep deprived, hormonal and a little insane and somehow I think the birth of DD2 has made me even more PFB about DD1.

She's 2.5, pretty bright and very chatty. She's a tiny parrot and repeats every phrase she hears me and her dad say. It's left her with an (adorable to me) repertoire of very grown-up soundbites which she uses in context. Half the time she talks normal toddler nonsense and the other half she speaks like a 35yr old English teacher.

People have started commenting on it, and I'm concerned it's making her look overly precocious. I used to get bullied at school for stuff like this (looking back I was definitely insufferable) and I'm concerned about history repeating itself with my baby.

How do I handle this? My husband thinks it's a non-issue and I need a G&T and a good night's sleep.

Saw a little fellow getting on the bus a few years ago, he stood up on his tippy toes to say earnestly to the driver 'I LOVE your tattoos'. The driver said 'thanks very much'.
The little fellow says, almost to himself, as he walked down to his seat 'he DOES have lovely tattoos'.

One of the cutest things I have ever seen 😁

This is why I love the toddler stage. So much of it is relentless, yes, but then you get praised fulsomely for going to the toilet

I have a video of my youngest just when he was properly starting to chat, just me and him in the garden and I treasure it, him trying a sip of my root beer and declaring that he couldn't have^ any more of it because 'it would make me poorly'^ like some sort of maiden aunt in 2 year old form.

My oldest is 8 and autistic and comes out with some wonderful stuff still. We live close-ish to London (Home Counties) so our accent is fairly bland southern but his is very RP and I often say that his little phrases and sayings are like he's the ghost of a small Victorian child, they're just so antiquated and proper coming out of this small boy's mouth. He's not....obviously autistic to those who don't have experience of it upon first meeting (I hate that phrase but don't quite know how else to put it! He's very sociable and makes eye contact and if he's not stimming then yes, he can appear neurotypical within the first five minutes if you don't really know autism). Anyway, all this to say, he's an older child who still comes out with some strange grown up phrases and has never been teased or had people think he's precocious or pretentious so fret not OP!

Your daughter sounds gorgeous, would probably be one of my favourites if I came across her in my classroom and you have nothing to worry about!

She sounds absolutely adorable op!! ☺️

I know what you mean and why it concerns you. My brother in law was mercilessly bullied because he acquired a lot of his (very authoritative) father’s phrases and mannerisms and used them at school. My BIL’s son is four and whilst I hope history won’t repeat itself, I won’t be surprised if it does. He spends virtually all his time with his parents and talks just like them. I think it’s important for children to spend plenty of time with other children so that their parents aren’t the only people they learn social interaction from - and it sounds like your daughter does spend lots of time with other kids.

She sounds adorable. At 2.5 they do just parrot phrases they hear and it’s so cute. Whenever we leave somewhere my DS goes ‘we had a lovely time didn’t we?’

I thought all toddlers did this.

DS1 spent a lot of time with his grandparents. When walking past the bus depot he said "Thats where the buses go to sleep and the drivers have a nice cup of tea".

Or another time: "let's find a nice bench for a picnic". Not just any bench, a nice bench.

He also started straightening up saying "ooof" at the same time which my mum was mortified by 😀

I started doing fitness videos during lockdown. My then 6 and 8 year olds kept congratulating me whenever I chose the difficult version rather than the beginners. Or even "wow you're on level 3 now. Well done mummy!"

Of course all children have the capacity to be annoying. But the very fact you’re worried about it means you won’t be raising an annoying child.

The annoying ones happen where the parents have no awareness at all and think that everyone should be fascinated by all the things their little darling has to say and provide attention and applause at all times.

It’s fine, but what would really turn people against your poor dd would be her adoring parents posting every cute thing she says and does on social media, now that would really wind people up. Enjoy her funny little remarks and quirks, share them with her proud daddy and her gps, but protect the rest of your social circle from them.

Loads of my Facebook friends do this. I love it. If you don’t like it, protect yourself from it.

She sounds adorable.

My friends son used to reply "hardly" with a withering expression when his mother used to ask him to do anything.

She doesn't know where he got it, but it totally cracked everyone up.

I'm laughing at the memory and it's 15 years old!

InvincibleInvisibility

I thought all toddlers did this.

I suspect they do.
That's probably why magazines have those pages called "Things They Say!" pages where people get £5 for sending in their children's/grandchildren's sayings like "My nana steals my chips, that's why her lap is the softest to sit on" etc

(Don't judge me re the magazines, btw. I was in hospital during Covid with no books . A nurse kindly found me a pile of "Take a Break"s and the like.
I fell upon those things like Moses on the tablets.)

This is lovely. There are much worse things she could be repeating! I think people are commenting because it's endearing. Copying is normal, it's part of learning.

She sounds adorable 🥰

Mine was like that, and I had the same worry. I’m not sure it is entirely “normal’ as most of her friends weren’t the same. But having had one, I know exactly what you mean. I think it can have a bit to do with being an only, who spends most of their time in adult company.

I’ve been waiting for her whole school career for the kids to become pissed off with her as I’m sure I would have done. But, she’s 13 and it hasn’t happened. She is the “mum” of her peer group. They look to her for the sensible take on the silliness they are suggesting, run things past her, how would she deal with it etc. She loves that.

Embrace it, of adults are shitty, just ignore them. Some adults will always find things to try and rain on your parade, usually because their own lives are so empty.

BoredZelda

Embrace it, of adults are shitty, just ignore them. Some adults will always find things to try and rain on your parade, usually because their own lives are so empty.

Is all that based on one woman's comment in a supermarket? A comment that, tbf, the OP may have perceived as "bitchy" because the OP was already a bit worried about her child seeming overly precocious (although, as I hope the OP has found out from this this thread, the overwhelming majority of posters feel her daughter's behaviour sounds absolutely fine and appealing).
Tone can be difficult to gauge but, tbf, the woman's actual words sound appropriate and lighthearted to me. And no! I'm not supermarket-dented-tin lady.
I'm sorry if other things have happened that have made you feel this way, though.

Oh, it doesn't sound like either the nursery or the woman in the supermarket were annoyed by your daughter at all - it sounds to me that they just found her funny, which is fair enough because it totally is funny and cute when tiny children suddenly say something grown-up. She's not being full of herself or obnoxious in any way. She sounds great.

She sounds funny and bright! I was a Nursery School Teacher, and had a little girl like this .She asked me how old I was ,and did I have any brothers! I laughed and said No Bros, and a lady never discloses her age! (She laughed ) I think she sounds adorable TBH

I remember a toddler sitting in a shopping trolley who reminded his mum to get something while they were at the deli counter, she said ‘oh! I almost forgot’ he piped up ‘good job I’m here!’

My best friend was a precocious child. Always performing/singing/dancing wether people cared or not . We both got bullied in school, me for being weird and her because everyone thought she was "up herself". (She wasn't) As she got older she wished her parents hadn't encouraged her so much and vowed never to do the same. Her daughter had no dance/stage lessons and was never encouraged to show her self off. She is the polar opposite of my friend very quiet, hates attention and tends to shy away. I would love your lo for who she is I wouldn't be encouraging a big ego but also encourage her to be happy in her self.

Your husband is very right.

This is so cute and funny!

When my DS1 was a similar age he had been learning about smoking being bad for health at nursery. We were walking down the street one day and he approached a man at a bus stop and said: "Smoking is bad for you and fills your lungs with dirty tar!" I wanted the ground to swallow me up!
I told him later that while what he had said was true, he didn't need to go around educating strangers on the dangers of smoking as it was like they already knew it was bad for them.
Your DD sounds super cute - I love it when little ones are precocious. They pick up on everything you say, it's how they learn. She cannot be patronising at 2.

That made me smile! Your DD is a cutie!

Haven’t read beyond pg 1 but it seems to be lots of “well done for xyz.”
if it is bothering you then maybe tone down the praise a bit.

Sounds super cute and funny to me OP, crack open the G&Ts. x

Its funny - you dont hear the word precocious often attributed to boys......
shell be fine. Enjoy your g&t

As long as she's not swearing don't worry