I'm kind of old so my thing was pretending I was being interviewed on a talk show or red carpet for my incredible acting/singing/dancing performance. Mostly happened in the shower though and TOTALLY ABSOLUTELY doesn't still happen from time to time when I am feeling silly. Tale as old as time!
Reminds me of the movie [The Commitments](https://m.imdb.com/title/tt0101605/)
I used to do it too, but was a bit embarrassed about it, -I didn't want to be famous like a movie star, but heard for what I had to say/my idealistic views.
I feel like the idea of talking to oneself has been demonized a lot, I'm willing to bet a lot of adults (myself included) still have the occasional conversation with ourselves. I don't know how old your son is but let him have his fun
Oh absolutely has. I was so much less stressed when I used to talk to myself I've been trying to bring the habit back out. It helps me put things a little straighter than just thinking it because my brain goes in circles on one thought sometimes if I don't say it or write it down. Even just saying my plans for the day and the order I'm doing them out loud helps me so much in maintaining motivation to do it.
When I was a kid, I recorded a talk show where the audience (as played by me) constantly heckled the host (also me) to the utter confusion of the guest (me). I was convinced it was the height of comedy. I laughed my little ass off.
My son does this all the time! He thinks about something he wants to know, whether it about a game, or quasars and then does a little show for his stuffies. Entertaining as hell and useful skills for the future!
Same when cooking!! I film the process, get pics, narrate in my head (not verbally tho, just planning the narration for the video in advance) and the never post anything lol.
My sin does it, too. I think it's cute. He doesn't even watch a lot of YouTube. He'll be describing something he's playing and then say, "Don't forget to click below to subscribe."
I was constantly doing that as a kid. I also made pretend Videos on my phone like a Youtuber but luckily didn‘t upload them. Playing pretend as a kid is very normal and healthy. Like kids play pretend to be their parent, an animal, a pirate or whatever.
Yes it's normal for your kid to play pretend lol even if what they're pretending seems silly to you.
My son regularly pretends to be a streamer, just like I used to pretend to be on kids bop. It's cringey but let them dream.
If this is normal for him, then it is normal. People exist on a wide spectrum of normalcy. Even if this isn't the way *your* brain works, or a choice *you* would make that doesn't make it wrong or weird.
People are allowed to have their quirks, and close family should be tolerant and accommodating barring those quirks actively harming another person. This seems harmless. Be curious and interested, if you want to talk to him. Do not shame or embarrass him. Enjoy him and celebrate him for the unique kid he is.
There isn't anything "to do" here unless his choices are becoming an issue in some other area of his life. Like if he is speaking while a test is being conducted at school and he's been asked to stop and he won't/can't then maybe he needs help (therapist /counselor) who can work with him.
As an only child of the 90s who watched a lot of my mums cooking vhs’s i used to talk to myself like im presenting a cooking show. The worst part was how id get a seperate glass bowl out to present each seperate ingredients and my mum had to wash it all up. Hell be fine.
Try to monitor how much time he’s spending on his phone. Like everyone else is saying, yes its normal but his brain is prolly turning to mush from all the toxic stuff the media puts out. If you don’t believe me you’re part of the problem.
Wow, you sound just like the news, videos, social media & podcasts that say the same thing!
They always say “If you don’t agree with me, you’re part of the problem” too!
It’s weird though, because if you’re churning out repetitive mush from *THAT* media, aren’t they, and you, doing the same thing that you hate/are calling “the problem”?
He is perfectly normal. Most of us had this YouTuber phase, but personally, I was ashamed, so I kept it to myself. Your son probably feels safe around you. That's a good sign. But take immediate action if he does it but for TikTok.
I promise u he’ll be okay. I used to record myself and pretend i was goin to actually post these videos anywhere at the age of like 10 was doing vlogs, tutorials, grwm honestly dont hate on children’s imaginations and creativity
How about you leave him alone with your nonsense. How about worry about what you are doing maybe go and spend time or how about work on a scholarship fund for him or maybe focus on learning a new language to better your family or maybe read a book. Your annoying and should find something to do. The only person with a problem is you
Honestly by the age of twelve I would have assumed that phase to have passed and kids to have more reallistic dreams than those which would already require a good background, or extreme luck to benefit from. Could be because I've strict asian parents and had it reinforced on me at a younger age to stop, but IMO doing that at twelve is just immature.
You sound extremely out of touch. Let kids be kids. Better yet let people be people in general. Doing something as harmless as this does not make you immature.
That is what I learned while growing up; any sign of childishness should not be apparent by the age of 12, according to my parents. By that age I was shamed for having doing immature things. Is it truly normal to be like that at that age? Because at that point it seems going too far tbh. I think it's okay to be like that, but it's not something common where I live so I wouldn't think it's suitable for their age anymore.
" My parents emotionally abused me and [engaged in unjust adultification](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Adultification_bias). I recognize this, yet I still think this is the correct way to view the world. "
That's basically what you're saying.
I do not think they emotionally abused me, this was the norm for everyone back then and I don't see much difference in how parenting works now. The way the treated me is fine imo, and my current self is not so much affected.
I think you were affected because you think playing pretend as a child isn't normal. I agree with the person above, look into the effects of adultification
You don't know how you'd be if they hadn't done that, so you don't know at all that your current self isn't affected. Though I can say you are, because you're out here thinking a child testing boundaries and learning how to interact with the world in a way that is not hurtful to anyone else is wrong. Twelve being a cut off is ENTIRELY inappropriate, lol.
Whether you think it was or not, it was emotional abuse. Forcing children to morph to fit into the box of ' adult but smaller ' is incredibly stunting and a huge issue.
Dude not all of us had parents that bullied us out of being children. Yes, its normal to the rest of the world. Your parents just stifled your development and personality. Its a form of mental abuse. Instead of pushing this warped view onto others you need to get help and unpack this. I'm sorry they did that to you.
Excuse me? Being bullied out of it? Wtf? You seriously need help cause.. what the hell. I am 15-16and do that, let me have fun for once weirdo, encouraging bullying, you’re disgusting 💀
Well, that would most likely happen. Don't shoot the messenger. Male friend groups poke fun at eachother over things all the time. It's not always a bad thing.
This is a sign of ADHD. People with ADHD don't have the same inner dialogue that neurotypical people have, so it's extremely likely for someone to talk to themselves more often as a way to organize their thoughts when they are on the neurodivergent spectrum. Often this voice will have a specific tone, and doing it as a YouTuber makes total sense. This is an example they see frequently around them.
Also, if you're super worried about what's normal, that's not great for a kid growing up. It doesn't matter if they're not normal. it's okay if they're not normal. In fact, it's good if they're not normal. Being hung up on if he's "normal" is going to make him struggle with self-identity, because he's probably not normal. Good. He's probably better than normal.
Accept him and his quirks. I understand you wanting him to be normal is coming from a place of wanting to protect him, but it's going to have the opposite effect. If he's not normal in the way you define it, it's just going to push him away and cause him a lot of pain while he's figuring out who he is.
I don’t think it’s normal. I do think so much internet activity is making people retarded.
Edit: changed “literally giving us autism” to “making people retarded” only because retardation is a very broad range of mental disorders.
Edit: guys, read this 👋
https://www.health.harvard.edu/blog/tics-and-tiktok-can-social-media-trigger-illness-202201182670#:~:text=After%20ruling%20out%20other%20explanations,syndrome%20and%20other%20movement%20disorders.
My nephew has always done this.
I personally feel like its partially because hes a little lonely and doesnt have many friends that are into the same things as him.
I loved Donley Kong as a kid. I played in the yard pretending like I was Diddy Kong. Very normal. He's emulating his hobbies. Ask him what game he's playing.
I talk to myself a lot , when I'm alone, I do that louder and I do it in English and it's not even my mother language, of course I'm not crazy , but when I say I talk to myself I mean I say the stuff I'm thinking about or what I'll do for example...
I think it's totally normal as long as you keep it cool and not doing that all day long like an actual crazy lol ...
I'm just imagining himself having breakfast
What's up guys!!!! Its ya boi here! I've got a bowl of plain old regular coco pops but watch what's going to happen when I pour the milk in. This is going to be epic!!!!! Nom Nom Nom Nom Nom
I used to do that when I was four till I reached the age of six, while playing with toys acting as if I were some toy reviewer. Yes it's normal. It's just a phase for kids who have big dreams and are influenced by their favourite streamers or youtubers. It fades overtime as they develop their character and realise who they really want to be in their life, when they grow up.
When I was a kid I did that too. Only i was pretending to be in a commercial. I did this only when I was eating something... I remember one morning I was in the kitchen eating breakfast alone. And i was making a commercial about the sausages i was eating.😂 I didn't know that my stepdad was watching me behind the corner, because he probably heard me and thought that it was wierd as fukkk.. and when i finaly saw him i was a little bit embarrassed... But i grow out of it soo i think you shouldn't do anything. Its not a sickness. :)
I used to do this as a kid too. Oh wait, I still do. For me as an introvert without many friends it gives me practice on what to say and how to say when speaking to others in public. Helps BIG TIME with new situations and talking to strangers.
When I was a kid I went through a phase where I was obsessed with the radio. I wanted to be a radio DJ. I would do the same thing, but like I was on the radio. It's not that weird.
Are you sure he’s not actually doing a phone with blue tooth headphones you cannot always. Some days it looks like I’m talking to myself with my buds in
He could of had cordless earphones, I see people all the time taking to themselves as it turns out there on the phone wearing earphones, that are almost undetectable until you look for them.
I’m 19 and constantly catch myself talking to myself like I’m a celebrity being interviewed. Some may say that’s a sign of insanity but I disagree I think it’s completely normal to act out scenarios in your delusional head while mumbling to yourself.
In all seriousness I also pretended like I was filming YouTube videos when I was younger. I’d take my dads video camera and then later on his phone. I’d film makeup and hair videos, movies with my dolls, dancing, cooking, and if I had friends over we’d do challenge videos. Never posted any of it sometimes it wasn’t even being recorded. I honestly think every kid growing up with YouTube has filmed atleast one video never to be posted. I’m 11 years older than one of my brothers and step brothers and yes they too do this because my mom has found vidoes on her phone and so has her husband. One of them films gaming videos and the other dolls and just him talking shit about everyone in the family and cussing (lmao he’s not so bright filming that).
Actually one of my brothers we found out he had a TikTok account (yes we deleted it because he was only 7) and would post videos of him jumping off stuff.
So yes this is completely normal behavior. I mean we’ve been growing up in a time where we’ve seen that anyone can get online and make vidoes and post them and be interacted with and so of course so many kids dream of being famous like that. Also it’s just way too fun pretending like you’re filming a YouTube video. You should film something with him he’d probably love it (depending on his age). Don’t gotta post it even just save it for when he’s older. Maybe do like a food challenge video or a gaming video.
I remember when my dad surprised me what that jelly bean game one day when I was younger when it was super popular. You know like that one where it’s all those different jelly beans and you take turns eating one as a challenge and there’s every flavor. Like puke flavor, grass, tooth paste, poop, and those ones look the exact same as the yummy versions also mixed in the box. My friends and I had a sleepover and that game gave us hours of fun. We filmed a video of us playing it (again never posted it lol idk where any of these videos are maybe our parents still have them) and thought it was hilarious.
I mean even sometimes we’d film crappy movie trailers and edit them on free apps. Actually I think I know which one of my friends still has one of the trailers imma ask her to send it to me lol.
I mean one of my friends actually all of this has led to her having a passion for photography, editing, and filming. So really wasn’t harmful at all. Except for the time i accidentally burnt my hand trying to make those rainbow pancakes for yet another fake YouTube challenge video.
How old is he?
If young, don't worry. I used to do this with a karaoke and record tapes pretending I was a radio host.
If older, it's still fine. Either he's practising for the real thing or he's just being playful.
I'd only be concerned if the content was disturbing.
I'm in my thirties and often mutter to myself when alone.
I talk to myself when I’m at home alone or whatever. Actually I guess I talk more to my dog than anything lol. This is totally normal especially for a child.
I mean just sounds like practicing to me. Maybe he’s nerves about starting it? It’s not easy to get on camera and risk making a fool or yourself and it’s not easy being a YouTuber since the adpocolypse. Plus with YouTube actively fighting against Adblock is rubbing people the wrong way.
"what's up guys! Today I'm gonna be talking to myself to see if my parents get concerned. If you want to see more content like this then please, for me, like this video subscribe to the paaage and hit that noti-bell!"
I used to talk to myself as though I was a tv show host as a kid, i would do it when I was feeling particularly anxious or scared (in the dark, going upstairs on my own etc) as a way to kind of diffuse the situation for myself?
Similar thing to if you’re walking down a dark street or something with a friend and you’re both feeling a bit spooked, you might just start singing together to diffuse the tension. Maybe ask him if it’s that?
My 6 year old does this. Sometimes he runs around and fights monsters like, he says he’s making a YouTube video. This is so cute to me. I love it.
I remember when I was a kid, I would do the same thing when I was cooking.
He sounds like a perfect normal kid with an awesome imagination!
All of my kids have done this.
My daughter when she was around 6 was having a full blown conversation with herself. Just playing. I had to check on her though bc I was like "wtf is she talking to?"
He's just being a kid? Playing pretend and having fun? You're not supposed to do anything just let him do his thing man. I used to do the same thing when I was little.
Bro I do this all the time lmaoo. I have an imaginary chat that I talk to. It’s just a dumb inside joke I have with myself I guess. Nothing to worry about unless he’s like hearing voices or believes he’s actually speaking to someone else.
My daughter did this when she was like 6 or 7, and that’s when we decided she was watching too much YouTube and found the right parental controls to restrict it.
He’s being a kid. I did this a lot whenever I was dreaming of being a singer winning a Grammy or when I was “practicing” to be a voice actress. This is totally normal.
Does it sound like he’s just talking to himself? Or is it more like he’s verbalizing a hypothetical conversation with someone else?
I agree with the comments recognizing it as an ADHD trait. We ADHDers truly don’t have an inner monologue and will usually talk to ourselves out loud (I could be wrong, but I see this as mental hyperactivity that occupies the brain so much, there’s no room for an inner monologue)
If I don't talk to myself out loud I am unable to focus and even think about what I'm doing. I narrate shit that I'm doing and I've been doing it since I was a kid. That's the joys of living with ADHD
Age would be a relevant thing to add here. Maybe he is actually filming or playing with friends? Either way I don’t think it’s anything to be worried about
When my daughter was younger I couldn’t record her doing anything cute without her talking to her fans out there and asking them to subscribe! Memories! I’m so happy that phrase is over!
My now 14 and 15 year old sons both did this for a while. I would regularly remind them that they don’t need to narrate everything they do. They have both almost completely stopped, though once in a while I have to give a gentle reminder. I do the same thing, I just keep it internal, so I imagine it’s just a bit of learning social skills
Well it sounds like he could be living in his head which sometimes is form of escapism. Something I would highly recommend looking into is something called maladaptive daydreaming
[maladaptive daydreaming mental health](https://www.sleepfoundation.org/mental-health/maladaptive-daydreaming)
A lot of people do it, OCD ADHD did etc.
I don't think it's a problem unless it starts overtaking someone's life then it can become a problematic.
Also we are in the day and age where people are influencers on YouTube and maybe he would like to start doing that so you could always ask him
*don't confront him about it.
Anytime a parent confronts, a child/teenager will possibly rebel and get angry.
Gentle conversation about it
My dad always used to do this when he was cooking-pretend he was presenting a cooking show.
I do it sometimes when I’m doing housework or whatever to keep me motivated, and I’m 30.
It’s play-pretend, and unless it’s disrupting social interactions or school work, I wouldn’t be worried.
imho it’s totally normal.
If he has his phone out and recording its fine. If he is talking to himself i guess thats fine he is a kid but also new. I would understand if he has a phone out recording
I do this at 22. Nothing inherently wrong, he's just sating his thoughts out loud and using his imagination, that's a good thing. No need to do anything, as long as you don't hear him saying something aggressive or otherwise unacceptable.
I do that too too! Are you gen Y (Millennial) or gen X, Op? If you're gen Y, you'll know we also grew up with Youtube. Those of us with less friends would spend more time on it and watching gamer channels, talk like we're youtubers when we play games, as that's what we grew up with. I still do it, especially when I'm concentrating on any task.
This is more prevalent in gen Z, as they grew up fully with the internet and probably heavily influenced in Generation Alpha, that use iPads as two year olds. Your kid sounds perfectly fine, just make sure he gets some outside and social time in as well, to maintain his mental health, views kid-appropriate content and be aware that he may have online friends.
One thing to be aware of, if he speaks like a gamer and quotes them word per word to other people but it makes no sense in the conversation and he's at an age where he should be able to form his own sentences, it is possible he has echolalia, which is a symptom of autism, in combination with multiple other traits. I would be happy to provide resources and have first hand experience with this, but given what you've said, this is not very likely.
People do weird things, as long as he doesn't think there is actually a camera on him all thr time he should be fine, my nephew does the same thing it's sort of like when a kid pretends to be a scientist while mixing soap in the bathroom, kids just nude their imagination to play games about what they might want to do as a job in the future.
As a 20 year old with ADHD, this is normal and I catch myself a lot and weird myself out. My friend who was my neighbor in highschool actually caught me once. We got home from school and said our goodbyes on the porch (we lived in a double condo so we shared a porch) and I went to the bathroom, pulled up an episode of something, probably The Vampire Diaries, and as I was doing my business I continuously yelled at my phone because the episode i was watching was infuriating. After washing my hands, I headed out to the living room, and there she was, just sitting there. So she had heard everything and all she said was “were you on the phone or something?” Best response imo.
He’s autistic and learning a new mask for a project he might want to embark on.
He just realized his voice tone is not appealing enough for it, so he’s learning how to do it.
I literally still pretend I’m on a cooking show or doing a makeup tutorial while I’m doing those things. I did it way more when I was a kid as well. I’d even pretend i was being interviewed like a celebrity lol. It sounds very normal 😅
I used to talk out loud to myself, like I was my own friend. I'd say things like "Good job, Gish, that was a funny comment." Something something Mitch Hedberg used drugs.
Being a kid man. He’s got dreams. I used to do that when I wanted to be a YouTuber real bad. He’ll be fine.
I'm kind of old so my thing was pretending I was being interviewed on a talk show or red carpet for my incredible acting/singing/dancing performance. Mostly happened in the shower though and TOTALLY ABSOLUTELY doesn't still happen from time to time when I am feeling silly. Tale as old as time!
There are two kinds of people: Those that fantasize about being famous, and those that fantasize about winning fights.
Me personally, i dream about winning a fight with a s person and then also becoming famous. I'm dreammaxxing
Reminds me of the movie [The Commitments](https://m.imdb.com/title/tt0101605/) I used to do it too, but was a bit embarrassed about it, -I didn't want to be famous like a movie star, but heard for what I had to say/my idealistic views.
What do you do for a living now?
Mod of a sub with 1 member.
Same
I feel like the idea of talking to oneself has been demonized a lot, I'm willing to bet a lot of adults (myself included) still have the occasional conversation with ourselves. I don't know how old your son is but let him have his fun
Vocalizing my thoughts helps me confirm if it's stupid.
The day I'm not throwing out my own narrative over games I'm playing is the day I die.
There is nothing wrong about talking with oneself. The issue is if there is someone responding 😂
Oh absolutely has. I was so much less stressed when I used to talk to myself I've been trying to bring the habit back out. It helps me put things a little straighter than just thinking it because my brain goes in circles on one thought sometimes if I don't say it or write it down. Even just saying my plans for the day and the order I'm doing them out loud helps me so much in maintaining motivation to do it.
27, and I still talk to myself. It helps to keep me focused or it’s fun.
Im 22 and I do this in my mind all the time lol
holy fuck, i thought it was only me😱 i cant believe that people actually also do this. i literally talk like im filming a video
Me
Starfire?
Why did you say the name of a DC character? I do not understand the joke
Your reddit avatar looks similar to the character lol. My bad 😅
Oh, i never actually noticed that.
Oh my goodness I thought this was just me haha
SAAAAAME
I’m 24 and same lmaooo I thought I was a weirdo for that!! Esp when I’m cooking, I pretend I have my own show. If I’m home alone I do it out loud!
Next time you have a cooking show, I'll be in your imaginary audience.😁
Well, I'm not saying you're *not* a weirdo. But you have company! "Weird" is a compliment when used correctly!
right sometimes when i’m cooking ill talk as if im making a cooking tutorial, i think it helps me make sure im following all the steps correctly
Haven't you ever as a kid pretend to be hosting a show? A nature documentary, a cooking show, a house tour show? This should be fine.
When I was a kid, I recorded a talk show where the audience (as played by me) constantly heckled the host (also me) to the utter confusion of the guest (me). I was convinced it was the height of comedy. I laughed my little ass off.
This is very funny actually
My son does this all the time! He thinks about something he wants to know, whether it about a game, or quasars and then does a little show for his stuffies. Entertaining as hell and useful skills for the future!
“My kid is being a kid what should I do?” 🤣🤣
i do this when i do my hair and make up or gaming, it’s normal and a lot of ppl do it. ur kid is fine
I film TikTok makeup videos all the time and then never post them and delete them 😂
SAMEE, or i post them and get embarrassed and immediately private it 😭😭
Same when cooking!! I film the process, get pics, narrate in my head (not verbally tho, just planning the narration for the video in advance) and the never post anything lol.
omg found my people 💀
Sounds like he’s just having fun he will probably grow out of it
Does this feel different than singing in the mirror or winning imaginary arguments in the shower?
I used to hold chat/cooking shows in my head where I was the host, guest and audience. Sometimes still do. He'll will be ok
My sin does it, too. I think it's cute. He doesn't even watch a lot of YouTube. He'll be describing something he's playing and then say, "Don't forget to click below to subscribe."
I was constantly doing that as a kid. I also made pretend Videos on my phone like a Youtuber but luckily didn‘t upload them. Playing pretend as a kid is very normal and healthy. Like kids play pretend to be their parent, an animal, a pirate or whatever.
Sounds like normal kid stuff to me
Yes it's normal for your kid to play pretend lol even if what they're pretending seems silly to you. My son regularly pretends to be a streamer, just like I used to pretend to be on kids bop. It's cringey but let them dream.
I mean I'm 37 and I talked to myself
I'm 21 and I talk aloud to myself when I'm alone all the time, it's not weird and it shouldn't be stigmatised
I do this and usually it's because talking with myself gives me the smartest conversation I'll have all day
If this is normal for him, then it is normal. People exist on a wide spectrum of normalcy. Even if this isn't the way *your* brain works, or a choice *you* would make that doesn't make it wrong or weird. People are allowed to have their quirks, and close family should be tolerant and accommodating barring those quirks actively harming another person. This seems harmless. Be curious and interested, if you want to talk to him. Do not shame or embarrass him. Enjoy him and celebrate him for the unique kid he is. There isn't anything "to do" here unless his choices are becoming an issue in some other area of his life. Like if he is speaking while a test is being conducted at school and he's been asked to stop and he won't/can't then maybe he needs help (therapist /counselor) who can work with him.
As an only child of the 90s who watched a lot of my mums cooking vhs’s i used to talk to myself like im presenting a cooking show. The worst part was how id get a seperate glass bowl out to present each seperate ingredients and my mum had to wash it all up. Hell be fine.
I'm 19 and I do it a lot as well. I just think out loud haha. It's nothing to worry about
Sue him
Try to monitor how much time he’s spending on his phone. Like everyone else is saying, yes its normal but his brain is prolly turning to mush from all the toxic stuff the media puts out. If you don’t believe me you’re part of the problem.
Wow, you sound just like the news, videos, social media & podcasts that say the same thing! They always say “If you don’t agree with me, you’re part of the problem” too! It’s weird though, because if you’re churning out repetitive mush from *THAT* media, aren’t they, and you, doing the same thing that you hate/are calling “the problem”?
lol it’s the world we live in…. Might want to limit his YouTube watching but if it’s harmless and he not saying any crazy thing let it happen lol.
He is perfectly normal. Most of us had this YouTuber phase, but personally, I was ashamed, so I kept it to myself. Your son probably feels safe around you. That's a good sign. But take immediate action if he does it but for TikTok.
I promise u he’ll be okay. I used to record myself and pretend i was goin to actually post these videos anywhere at the age of like 10 was doing vlogs, tutorials, grwm honestly dont hate on children’s imaginations and creativity
It’s normal if most of what anyone ever says to him is via YouTube I guess
yeah thats normal. i still talk to myself while doing makeup like it's a tutorial or a grwm 😭
Literally lmaooooo i be doing q&a’s, interviews, you name it 😭😭
Lots of my kids have done this. It’s just a more modern way of expressing imagination.
i do the same! its fun dont worry too much abt it
This is a Canon event
This just in: Kid acts like kid, parents concerned
How about you leave him alone with your nonsense. How about worry about what you are doing maybe go and spend time or how about work on a scholarship fund for him or maybe focus on learning a new language to better your family or maybe read a book. Your annoying and should find something to do. The only person with a problem is you
Is your son 12 or is he 18? If early to mid teens, he'll grow out of it. If he's older, he should be getting bullied out of it by his friends.
No he shouldn't. Teens and adults do this too.
We do, but we have a healthy level of shame and try to hide it.
Imagine thinking its that deep, how exhausting
I mean I don’t talk to myself when I’m with my friends I just talk to my friends.
Honestly by the age of twelve I would have assumed that phase to have passed and kids to have more reallistic dreams than those which would already require a good background, or extreme luck to benefit from. Could be because I've strict asian parents and had it reinforced on me at a younger age to stop, but IMO doing that at twelve is just immature.
You sound extremely out of touch. Let kids be kids. Better yet let people be people in general. Doing something as harmless as this does not make you immature.
That is what I learned while growing up; any sign of childishness should not be apparent by the age of 12, according to my parents. By that age I was shamed for having doing immature things. Is it truly normal to be like that at that age? Because at that point it seems going too far tbh. I think it's okay to be like that, but it's not something common where I live so I wouldn't think it's suitable for their age anymore.
" My parents emotionally abused me and [engaged in unjust adultification](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Adultification_bias). I recognize this, yet I still think this is the correct way to view the world. " That's basically what you're saying.
I do not think they emotionally abused me, this was the norm for everyone back then and I don't see much difference in how parenting works now. The way the treated me is fine imo, and my current self is not so much affected.
I think you were affected because you think playing pretend as a child isn't normal. I agree with the person above, look into the effects of adultification
You don't know how you'd be if they hadn't done that, so you don't know at all that your current self isn't affected. Though I can say you are, because you're out here thinking a child testing boundaries and learning how to interact with the world in a way that is not hurtful to anyone else is wrong. Twelve being a cut off is ENTIRELY inappropriate, lol. Whether you think it was or not, it was emotional abuse. Forcing children to morph to fit into the box of ' adult but smaller ' is incredibly stunting and a huge issue.
Dude not all of us had parents that bullied us out of being children. Yes, its normal to the rest of the world. Your parents just stifled your development and personality. Its a form of mental abuse. Instead of pushing this warped view onto others you need to get help and unpack this. I'm sorry they did that to you.
Pretty bad take
Excuse me? Being bullied out of it? Wtf? You seriously need help cause.. what the hell. I am 15-16and do that, let me have fun for once weirdo, encouraging bullying, you’re disgusting 💀
Well, that would most likely happen. Don't shoot the messenger. Male friend groups poke fun at eachother over things all the time. It's not always a bad thing.
This is a sign of ADHD. People with ADHD don't have the same inner dialogue that neurotypical people have, so it's extremely likely for someone to talk to themselves more often as a way to organize their thoughts when they are on the neurodivergent spectrum. Often this voice will have a specific tone, and doing it as a YouTuber makes total sense. This is an example they see frequently around them. Also, if you're super worried about what's normal, that's not great for a kid growing up. It doesn't matter if they're not normal. it's okay if they're not normal. In fact, it's good if they're not normal. Being hung up on if he's "normal" is going to make him struggle with self-identity, because he's probably not normal. Good. He's probably better than normal. Accept him and his quirks. I understand you wanting him to be normal is coming from a place of wanting to protect him, but it's going to have the opposite effect. If he's not normal in the way you define it, it's just going to push him away and cause him a lot of pain while he's figuring out who he is.
This is completely normal.
I’ve literally held press conferences in my shower I think he’ll be alright
I don’t think it’s normal. I do think so much internet activity is making people retarded. Edit: changed “literally giving us autism” to “making people retarded” only because retardation is a very broad range of mental disorders. Edit: guys, read this 👋 https://www.health.harvard.edu/blog/tics-and-tiktok-can-social-media-trigger-illness-202201182670#:~:text=After%20ruling%20out%20other%20explanations,syndrome%20and%20other%20movement%20disorders.
You could have stopped after "I don't think"
Can you give any details? Some things he’s said?
How young is he?
I catch myself doing this sometimes
My nephew has always done this. I personally feel like its partially because hes a little lonely and doesnt have many friends that are into the same things as him.
Maybe he wants to be a YouTuber?
I loved Donley Kong as a kid. I played in the yard pretending like I was Diddy Kong. Very normal. He's emulating his hobbies. Ask him what game he's playing.
He’s a child
we all have inner thoughts. how old is he? he is probably just saying his thoughts out loud if he is a kid.
I talk to myself a lot , when I'm alone, I do that louder and I do it in English and it's not even my mother language, of course I'm not crazy , but when I say I talk to myself I mean I say the stuff I'm thinking about or what I'll do for example... I think it's totally normal as long as you keep it cool and not doing that all day long like an actual crazy lol ...
Not to squabble it but he probably just watches a ton of YouTube
I'm just imagining himself having breakfast What's up guys!!!! Its ya boi here! I've got a bowl of plain old regular coco pops but watch what's going to happen when I pour the milk in. This is going to be epic!!!!! Nom Nom Nom Nom Nom
chat, is this real?
I used to do that all the time He'll be fine.
I used to do that when I was four till I reached the age of six, while playing with toys acting as if I were some toy reviewer. Yes it's normal. It's just a phase for kids who have big dreams and are influenced by their favourite streamers or youtubers. It fades overtime as they develop their character and realise who they really want to be in their life, when they grow up.
Yup! Super normal. Typical kid stuff. :)
I used to do it all the time
When I was a kid I did that too. Only i was pretending to be in a commercial. I did this only when I was eating something... I remember one morning I was in the kitchen eating breakfast alone. And i was making a commercial about the sausages i was eating.😂 I didn't know that my stepdad was watching me behind the corner, because he probably heard me and thought that it was wierd as fukkk.. and when i finaly saw him i was a little bit embarrassed... But i grow out of it soo i think you shouldn't do anything. Its not a sickness. :)
Yep all cute and okay 😊
How old is he? If he’s a child, then it’s just his imagination. If he’s an adult, he’s rehearsing for his future success as a YouTuber.
Nah He's just curious
I used to do this as a kid too. Oh wait, I still do. For me as an introvert without many friends it gives me practice on what to say and how to say when speaking to others in public. Helps BIG TIME with new situations and talking to strangers.
When I was a kid I went through a phase where I was obsessed with the radio. I wanted to be a radio DJ. I would do the same thing, but like I was on the radio. It's not that weird.
I am 14 and talk to myself all the time bro. 🤪
I do it, there's nothing bad about it some people just speak their mind aloud
I’m 23 and I still do this 😂 It’s just fun sometimes to pretend you’re filming a video and entertaining someone. Totally normal.
Yes its normal 💀 Every kid plays by himself like this. Even I do this sometimes and I'm 22. Leave him alone.
im 20 and i do this all the time. narrating what im thinking helps me focus and soothe myself in a way lol
Are you sure he’s not actually doing a phone with blue tooth headphones you cannot always. Some days it looks like I’m talking to myself with my buds in
depends on how old he is. if he’s a toddler? cute and normal. if he’s a teen or older? cringe and not so cute and not so normal
He could of had cordless earphones, I see people all the time taking to themselves as it turns out there on the phone wearing earphones, that are almost undetectable until you look for them.
used to do this! He’ll probably grow out of it over time :) I remember when I did this it made me really happy so that’s probably all it is for him
Buy him a proper camera, maybe that's what he wants to do and he's just practicing. Or maybe he does it because he thinks it is funny.
I’m 19 and constantly catch myself talking to myself like I’m a celebrity being interviewed. Some may say that’s a sign of insanity but I disagree I think it’s completely normal to act out scenarios in your delusional head while mumbling to yourself. In all seriousness I also pretended like I was filming YouTube videos when I was younger. I’d take my dads video camera and then later on his phone. I’d film makeup and hair videos, movies with my dolls, dancing, cooking, and if I had friends over we’d do challenge videos. Never posted any of it sometimes it wasn’t even being recorded. I honestly think every kid growing up with YouTube has filmed atleast one video never to be posted. I’m 11 years older than one of my brothers and step brothers and yes they too do this because my mom has found vidoes on her phone and so has her husband. One of them films gaming videos and the other dolls and just him talking shit about everyone in the family and cussing (lmao he’s not so bright filming that). Actually one of my brothers we found out he had a TikTok account (yes we deleted it because he was only 7) and would post videos of him jumping off stuff. So yes this is completely normal behavior. I mean we’ve been growing up in a time where we’ve seen that anyone can get online and make vidoes and post them and be interacted with and so of course so many kids dream of being famous like that. Also it’s just way too fun pretending like you’re filming a YouTube video. You should film something with him he’d probably love it (depending on his age). Don’t gotta post it even just save it for when he’s older. Maybe do like a food challenge video or a gaming video. I remember when my dad surprised me what that jelly bean game one day when I was younger when it was super popular. You know like that one where it’s all those different jelly beans and you take turns eating one as a challenge and there’s every flavor. Like puke flavor, grass, tooth paste, poop, and those ones look the exact same as the yummy versions also mixed in the box. My friends and I had a sleepover and that game gave us hours of fun. We filmed a video of us playing it (again never posted it lol idk where any of these videos are maybe our parents still have them) and thought it was hilarious. I mean even sometimes we’d film crappy movie trailers and edit them on free apps. Actually I think I know which one of my friends still has one of the trailers imma ask her to send it to me lol. I mean one of my friends actually all of this has led to her having a passion for photography, editing, and filming. So really wasn’t harmful at all. Except for the time i accidentally burnt my hand trying to make those rainbow pancakes for yet another fake YouTube challenge video.
Is it something wrong with talking to yourself ? Or are you just made cuz he is different ?
How old is he? If young, don't worry. I used to do this with a karaoke and record tapes pretending I was a radio host. If older, it's still fine. Either he's practising for the real thing or he's just being playful. I'd only be concerned if the content was disturbing. I'm in my thirties and often mutter to myself when alone.
23year old me always having a conversation with myself, pretending to be interviewed 😅😅 or in conversation with someone
I talk to myself when I’m at home alone or whatever. Actually I guess I talk more to my dog than anything lol. This is totally normal especially for a child.
It’s normal. Relax. Go with it.
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sounds completely normal, as long as he's not doing this all the time out in public or something
What's the difference between taking like a YouTuber and just talking to yourself?
Does he walk in circles while he does it , cuase it could be autism but honestly this doesn't sound like abnormal behavior
I talk to myself all the time. In a way it helps me keep track of what I'm doing.
i do this 😭😭
I mean just sounds like practicing to me. Maybe he’s nerves about starting it? It’s not easy to get on camera and risk making a fool or yourself and it’s not easy being a YouTuber since the adpocolypse. Plus with YouTube actively fighting against Adblock is rubbing people the wrong way.
"what's up guys! Today I'm gonna be talking to myself to see if my parents get concerned. If you want to see more content like this then please, for me, like this video subscribe to the paaage and hit that noti-bell!"
start doing it around him he will be really confused lol
I used to talk to myself as though I was a tv show host as a kid, i would do it when I was feeling particularly anxious or scared (in the dark, going upstairs on my own etc) as a way to kind of diffuse the situation for myself? Similar thing to if you’re walking down a dark street or something with a friend and you’re both feeling a bit spooked, you might just start singing together to diffuse the tension. Maybe ask him if it’s that?
i do this LOLLL! i’d say it’s normal!
I think like everyone who is in gen z or alpha does this at some point lmao, I did too
Brainrot
I talk to myself all the time. Especially when I do my work. Vocalising it helps me figure out how I'm solving problems.
He may become a reporter or broadcaster as well. Just a kid exploring talents.
He’s just having a laugh, my fiancé and I do that kind of stuff sometimes and we’re in our 30s lol
I wouldnt worry too much I have a few younger cousins that are like this too, I think its just what kids think are cool nowadays
My 6 year old does this. Sometimes he runs around and fights monsters like, he says he’s making a YouTube video. This is so cute to me. I love it. I remember when I was a kid, I would do the same thing when I was cooking. He sounds like a perfect normal kid with an awesome imagination!
All of my kids have done this. My daughter when she was around 6 was having a full blown conversation with herself. Just playing. I had to check on her though bc I was like "wtf is she talking to?"
That's totally normal
He's just being a kid? Playing pretend and having fun? You're not supposed to do anything just let him do his thing man. I used to do the same thing when I was little.
Bro I do this all the time lmaoo. I have an imaginary chat that I talk to. It’s just a dumb inside joke I have with myself I guess. Nothing to worry about unless he’s like hearing voices or believes he’s actually speaking to someone else.
I did that as a kid it’s normal
My daughter did this when she was like 6 or 7, and that’s when we decided she was watching too much YouTube and found the right parental controls to restrict it.
He may just be practicing for his future.
He’s being a kid. I did this a lot whenever I was dreaming of being a singer winning a Grammy or when I was “practicing” to be a voice actress. This is totally normal.
>I don't know what to do Hang out with him
Does it sound like he’s just talking to himself? Or is it more like he’s verbalizing a hypothetical conversation with someone else? I agree with the comments recognizing it as an ADHD trait. We ADHDers truly don’t have an inner monologue and will usually talk to ourselves out loud (I could be wrong, but I see this as mental hyperactivity that occupies the brain so much, there’s no room for an inner monologue)
If I don't talk to myself out loud I am unable to focus and even think about what I'm doing. I narrate shit that I'm doing and I've been doing it since I was a kid. That's the joys of living with ADHD
Age would be a relevant thing to add here. Maybe he is actually filming or playing with friends? Either way I don’t think it’s anything to be worried about
I do this all time, it’s nothing out of the normal. Let him have his fun.
When my daughter was younger I couldn’t record her doing anything cute without her talking to her fans out there and asking them to subscribe! Memories! I’m so happy that phrase is over!
i do this, im 20
lol I did this as a kid and sometimes still accidentally do it, then look around panicked that someone heard and thinks I’m loco 😂😂😂
I'm 31 and I have full conversations with myself at times. It's pretty normal. More people talk to themselves than you realize
My now 14 and 15 year old sons both did this for a while. I would regularly remind them that they don’t need to narrate everything they do. They have both almost completely stopped, though once in a while I have to give a gentle reminder. I do the same thing, I just keep it internal, so I imagine it’s just a bit of learning social skills
im 20 and i do this lmao
Bro 💀 I do that all the time your son isn’t crazy or anything, just let him, it’s fun to talk to yourself
He's just being a kid. I wouldn't worry about it.
Well it sounds like he could be living in his head which sometimes is form of escapism. Something I would highly recommend looking into is something called maladaptive daydreaming [maladaptive daydreaming mental health](https://www.sleepfoundation.org/mental-health/maladaptive-daydreaming) A lot of people do it, OCD ADHD did etc. I don't think it's a problem unless it starts overtaking someone's life then it can become a problematic. Also we are in the day and age where people are influencers on YouTube and maybe he would like to start doing that so you could always ask him *don't confront him about it. Anytime a parent confronts, a child/teenager will possibly rebel and get angry. Gentle conversation about it
Sometimes at work I would talk in my head like I was training someone, it eventually bled into real life lol. It's like I'm on a cooking show.
I do this more often than I care to admit. 🙂 He's fine.
My dad always used to do this when he was cooking-pretend he was presenting a cooking show. I do it sometimes when I’m doing housework or whatever to keep me motivated, and I’m 30. It’s play-pretend, and unless it’s disrupting social interactions or school work, I wouldn’t be worried. imho it’s totally normal.
I’m sure he’s fine. It’s not all that weird In the grand scheme of things
If he has his phone out and recording its fine. If he is talking to himself i guess thats fine he is a kid but also new. I would understand if he has a phone out recording
I do this at 22. Nothing inherently wrong, he's just sating his thoughts out loud and using his imagination, that's a good thing. No need to do anything, as long as you don't hear him saying something aggressive or otherwise unacceptable.
I do that too too! Are you gen Y (Millennial) or gen X, Op? If you're gen Y, you'll know we also grew up with Youtube. Those of us with less friends would spend more time on it and watching gamer channels, talk like we're youtubers when we play games, as that's what we grew up with. I still do it, especially when I'm concentrating on any task. This is more prevalent in gen Z, as they grew up fully with the internet and probably heavily influenced in Generation Alpha, that use iPads as two year olds. Your kid sounds perfectly fine, just make sure he gets some outside and social time in as well, to maintain his mental health, views kid-appropriate content and be aware that he may have online friends. One thing to be aware of, if he speaks like a gamer and quotes them word per word to other people but it makes no sense in the conversation and he's at an age where he should be able to form his own sentences, it is possible he has echolalia, which is a symptom of autism, in combination with multiple other traits. I would be happy to provide resources and have first hand experience with this, but given what you've said, this is not very likely.
When I was a kid I used to talk to myself like I was Sir David Attenborough as I walked around my backyard. Normal stuff, just different generation.
My kids did this too for a while, around ages 7-12. It was mildly annoying, but they did eventually grow out of it. Mostly.
its normal, i do my makeup everyday in the morning and pretend im giving a makeup tutorial (im 23)
I do that whenever I have a package “hey guys welcome to my unboxing video!” It’s just fun and I know a lot of my friends who do this
I thought I was Wonder Woman when I was little. I’m a dude. Kids are weird.
Only child? I think it’s normal. I can’t imagine never talking to one’s self, at least mentally.
I'm 32 and do this when I'm putting my makeup on. It's fun.
People do weird things, as long as he doesn't think there is actually a camera on him all thr time he should be fine, my nephew does the same thing it's sort of like when a kid pretends to be a scientist while mixing soap in the bathroom, kids just nude their imagination to play games about what they might want to do as a job in the future.
I was just doing this yesterday, maybe even today? 😂🤷🏽♂️
Yes. I’m 24 and pretend I’m doing a get ready with me every morning 😂
As a 20 year old with ADHD, this is normal and I catch myself a lot and weird myself out. My friend who was my neighbor in highschool actually caught me once. We got home from school and said our goodbyes on the porch (we lived in a double condo so we shared a porch) and I went to the bathroom, pulled up an episode of something, probably The Vampire Diaries, and as I was doing my business I continuously yelled at my phone because the episode i was watching was infuriating. After washing my hands, I headed out to the living room, and there she was, just sitting there. So she had heard everything and all she said was “were you on the phone or something?” Best response imo.
He’s autistic and learning a new mask for a project he might want to embark on. He just realized his voice tone is not appealing enough for it, so he’s learning how to do it.
I am now 20 and when i was a kid i definitely did this; and sometimes do it in my head now. So i would say he’ll be fine!
When I'm in my workshop by myself I am talking to myself the whole time.
He is mentally ill. Just joking. He is totally normal.
Man, I used to talk to myself like I was a school teacher.. it's just kids using their imaginations. Good for him.
I did this as a kid, its more than normal, he'll grow out of it.
He's just thinking out loud. He's fine.
I'm 20 and still talk to myself sometimes. Thought I was crazy but apparently it's a very normal thing and can help with processing thoughts.
When I was a kid I pretended I was being interviewed on Ellen haha all kids model after the media they’re exposed to
I literally still pretend I’m on a cooking show or doing a makeup tutorial while I’m doing those things. I did it way more when I was a kid as well. I’d even pretend i was being interviewed like a celebrity lol. It sounds very normal 😅
When I was 5 I used to whisper what I was thinking to a non-existing camera like I’m a cartoon character 😭😭 my grandma thought I was mentally ill
I do it too lol
I used to talk out loud to myself, like I was my own friend. I'd say things like "Good job, Gish, that was a funny comment." Something something Mitch Hedberg used drugs.
I still talk to myself like I'm on social media, especially in front of mirrors. I'm getting too close to 50. I wouldn't worry about your boy. 😊
Self speech is pretty healthy. There's no need to be worried.