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AIBU?

Share your dilemmas and get honest opinions from other Mumsnetters.

AIBU to worry my three-year-old mixes up she and her?

57 replies

TheLilacmum · 20/05/2026 08:47

my girl is just over 3 years old and have a bit of a hard time with using her and she as pronouns correctly.. she refers to everyone as she but she can make complex sentences like “ mommy do you remember when I got stuck on the little slide at the park ? .. she is fine with the other pronouns but I can’t seem to be able to help her regardless of how many times I correct her ..
how normal is that in neurotypical kids

OP posts:
lazyarse123 · 20/05/2026 08:48

She's three.

thisistheworstpossibletiming · 20/05/2026 08:49

Seriously?

ToKittyornottoKitty · 20/05/2026 08:49

It’s totally normal, she’s 3. It’s also normal in neurodiverse 3 year olds too, it’s not an indicator of anything other than being a toddler that’s still learning and has bigger things to worry about than pronouns.

MotherofPufflings · 20/05/2026 08:49

Lots of adults haven't mastered this either tbf! It sounds very normal for a 3 year old to get it wrong.

VintedQ · 20/05/2026 08:49

Totally normal. Mine got he and she mixed up all the time.

Hadalifeonce · 20/05/2026 08:50

She is 3! She is learning how to use complex language.

CurbsideProphet · 20/05/2026 08:50

You must be the poster who regularly asks anonymous strangers on the internet whether your child has Autism.

Viviennemary · 20/05/2026 08:50

I'm no expert. Bug three year olds often don't use pronouns just the name of the person or thing.

nutbrownhare15 · 20/05/2026 08:50

I thought stuff like that at three was cute. She'll learn in her own time. Her brain is really busy learning other things right now.

Utopiaqueen · 20/05/2026 08:51

Oh goodness me, here we go again. I was wondering when you'd be back again with a new non issue.

Mine did this when he was three. Didn't even occur to me it was a problem. Because it wasn't.

Walkacrossthesand · 20/05/2026 08:51

It’ll come. It’s not that long ago that she didn’t have the words for me/I. Just include the correct word in your reply eg ‘her going down slide’; ‘yes, she is going down the slide isn’t she’

Cosimarocks · 20/05/2026 08:52

Are you in the US? If not, then she has an issue far worse than ‘she’ and ‘her’, ‘mommy’?!

Needmorelego · 20/05/2026 08:53

Funny..... I was just thinking yesterday we haven't heard from you in a while.
She's 3.
She's barely out of babyhood.

Walkacrossthesand · 20/05/2026 08:53

Just re-read - same concept but when she uses ‘her’ incorrectly, respond with ‘she’. Don’t correct her directly, just model the proper use.

Needmorelego · 20/05/2026 08:54

Cosimarocks · 20/05/2026 08:52

Are you in the US? If not, then she has an issue far worse than ‘she’ and ‘her’, ‘mommy’?!

To defend the OP on just this -Mom/Mommy is used in Birmingham and the West Midlands.

TorturedParentsDepartment · 20/05/2026 08:54

I'll humour you - but as an autistic SALT - it's not the end of the world if she is.

Pronouns are slippery little linguistic bastards and can take time to nail.

Utopiaqueen · 20/05/2026 08:55

CurbsideProphet · 20/05/2026 08:50

You must be the poster who regularly asks anonymous strangers on the internet whether your child has Autism.

I believe so. The pronoun issue is a new one to add to the other absolute non issues that the poster makes up about her child. I'm beginning to lose track but so far the issues seem to be all in the posters head.

Utopiaqueen · 20/05/2026 08:59

My four year old gets mixed up with his days of the week and when referring to something that happened yesterday always says "last night"

What's your thoughts OP? Is he autistic? ADHD? Gestalt language processor?

He's none of those things, just a normal developing child but you can see this would be the exactly thing you'd pick up on and over analyse it to the extreme.

Enjoy your child. She's a child, not a project for you to manage and solve.

Gonnaeatalotofpeaches · 20/05/2026 09:02

My four year old still sometimes says my instead of I. We find she stutters when we correct her so we are letting her come to her own conclusions which I’m sure she will. She does speak two languages and comes up with some interesting sentence structures at the moment she always asks for one of things rather than “a” or “an”. We don’t realise how complex learning a language is.

user1471538275 · 20/05/2026 09:04

I would suggest you spend time learning about normal child development, maybe even a course that would help with your endless anxieties about your child.

It is unhelpful to your anxiety to be posting constantly here, you need to be challenging your thoughts and distracting yourself.

Eenameenadeeka · 20/05/2026 09:28

It's completely normal.

kscarpetta · 20/05/2026 13:32

She's 3!
I still correct my perfectly bright and normal 8 year old's English sometimes.

Electricsausages · 20/05/2026 13:35

Non issue
i know 5yr olds who still get mixed up

Peonies12 · 20/05/2026 13:36

user1471538275 · 20/05/2026 09:04

I would suggest you spend time learning about normal child development, maybe even a course that would help with your endless anxieties about your child.

It is unhelpful to your anxiety to be posting constantly here, you need to be challenging your thoughts and distracting yourself.

This a million times

Electricsausages · 20/05/2026 13:37

After reading others saying your a regular poster , do you Want a diagnosis or are you just mithering