mixed up pronouns

My kids have phenomenal language skills, but they still consistently mix up "you" and "I." They talk about themselves as "you" (as in "You made a big poop in your diaper!") and about me as "I" ("And then I changed your diaper").

How long does this usually last? I'm not worried in the least, since these kids are super verbal, just curious.

 

pretty common up until age 4, sometimes 5.

 

I forgot to add that your post reminded me of this video I saw on AFV one time where this little girl was being taped and her Dad was asking where they were. She kept saying "Yourami" and he's say "no, Miami" and she'd say "Yourami". It was hysterical. Then he finally said "Yourami" and she said "Miami?". :rotflmbo:

 

Yeah, it can last another year or two, and is totally normal.

Do you use pronouns when you talk to them? I ask because a friend of mine still refers to everyone in the third person when talking to her 6-year-old twins, such as "Mommy doesn't like it when Connor and Ben act like this."

I think that's fine for the first couple years of life, but after age 2 or so, I prefer to start using you and I, and speaking normally! I think kids catch on more quickly if you model what you want them to say.

Funny story -- we've been working on getting Kevan to say "mama" consistently. (And he finally is, hooray!) But, his speech therapist asked me, does he hear anyone else call you Mama? And the answer was no, LOL. DH calls me Sweet, Karina calls me Mommy, and Nadia calls me Moooommm (with classic 13-year-old inflection). The therapist thought that might be part of the reason it took Kevan so long to get it.

Anyhow. Karina still says "help you, please" when she wants our help with something.

 

Mine definitely mix up you & me. They refer to themselves in the 3rd person still. I feel like I'm always correcting them..."Carry you", "Help you", etc. Now sometimes I'll say, "Help who?" & they'll say, "Help MEEEE" with a large emphasis on the me . It's like they know, but they're just sooo used to hearing it the other way. We say "you" to them all the time..."Let me carry you", "Let me help you", etc etc.

My boys are also great talkers, so I figure that they'll figure the pronoun stuff out sooner or later....

 

Mine used to do the same thing but don't anymore. I don't remember when it stopped, but have confidence that possibly in the next few months. :good:

My niece used to do the same thing!! My bro and SIL graduated from U of Miami so they talked about it a lot.

 

At almost 3 and a half, my two seem to have the you/I stuff down, but they have alot of trouble with the gender of pronouns and the correct usage of her vs. she.

 

mine never mixed up the you and I but will be 4 on Monday and still mix up he and she. they know mommy is a girl but I get called "him" all the time. I actually think it's cute. ardon:

 

My two constantly say she for her. Drives me nuts!

 

I do use pronouns with them, and aim to use as much "adult talk" with them as possible. (No "Mommy wants Andrew to stop pushing her buttons, please." :lol: ) Like I said, not worried, just curious what the normal trajectory is.

And now there's a new twist. They're really in the grammar Nazi phase right now - only incorrect grammar: struggling to regularize all the irregularities of the English language. They used to say "were" and "went," now it's "goed" and "be-ed." It used to be "You want me to carry you," and now it's "You want I to carry you." So funny! :lol: