My Friend's Almost 4 Year Old Son Won't Stop Copying My Son and Now Another Boy.

Just remember that he is learning and growing and this is a part of that and nothing more. I would bet you a dime to a donut as the old schoolers say, that this happens with many children his age. It is the same with my grandson and was the same with my own son, (now deceased. I would be concerned and attentive to any inappropriate behavior and address it calmly, but immediate giving the child an explanation as to why this is not good to imitate. He is finding himself and finding his way. This is common with siblings too. Being that he has no siblings like my grandson, and my son at that time in his young life, as my son grew and got older, this disappated. I am sure you will find it to be the same with your child too. Relax and let him explore. If he presents extreme or inappropriate behavior, and sometimes he might, be diligient to address it, otherwise let him be if he is not hurting anyone, himself or anything. He'll be just fine with your love, guidance and positive active parenting as you are showing you are doing right now with this question.
Good luck to you!
Jen

My son is 2 1/2 and I'm experiencing the very same problem. He's the only child and can be very independent when he's alone but the problem only occurs when other kids come in to play. I notice he copies everything they do and whatever they say. It seems he can't be his own self and do his own thing when he's around other kids (younger or older than him)!! I'm starting to get worried because I don't see any other kids doing that. For example, when we go to church, he would play with this 19mth old boy and he would literally crawl when he crawls, follow him everywhere, and pretends to cry when this kid cries! And when he is with his older cousins 3-6yr olds he does whatever they do as well. With them, at least I notice his vocabulary building up more and he does big boy stuff but as I mentioned, he just can't be himself! This is starting to be a big concern on me and my husband. I'm just hoping this is just a phase he's going through and will soon pass.

I can't relate the the exact situation, but maybe I can help at least a little. I have 4 children of my own, and they all copy one another from time to time just to be irritating. My older ones, 4,6, and 8, also tell my 2 year old what to do. I insist that they never talk for him, and that they never tell him what to do. When they do, they get a warning, then the corner. My reason for this is that when my 6 year old was 2, his older brother was always talking for him. He didn't talk at all until he was 3 and not well until the last couple years. We strongly suspected it was because his brother would talk for and over him all the time. As for the copying, it is hard with kids that young to get to understand. It may just require patience. With my older kids, when they copy each other, I tell the child who is being copied to be quiet. After all, they cannot be copied if they aren't saying anything. And if someone is copying what they are doing, I tell them to ignore them the best they can. Eventually the person will stop because they aren't getting the reaction they were hoping for. If her child is doing this because he needs the attention though, that may not work.