my toddler which is 2.5 seems to have some stranger anxiety but last night we went to our neighbors which she has seen maybe twice and walked right into the house, then she asks the lady if she could have a snack and then asks her to be picked up like she new her for quite sometime. anyone else experienced this or should i be worried about her just going to strangers
thank you to everyone who responded wow it sure is stressful being a first time mom, i analize everything and worry things I probably shouldn't its just nice to get advice from others then family
I think it's a good thing. "Stranger Danger" is more for when she is a bit older and NOT with you. You don't want her to be scared of other people........
This is so normal and a good thing. She's too young to be teaching stranger danger. She does not have the brain capacity or the experience to differentiate among people. She relies on you to make that differentiation.
You want her to be comfortable with people. Actually these people are not strangers. You were with her. You were friendly. She relies on you to take care of her.
I agree completely with Momma W.'s post.
Stanger Danger is a stupid program that has brainwashed a generation of parents to teach their kids to be afraid of strangers. Don't teach your toddler to be afraid of the kindness in this world...teach her to THINK. Right now, she can't tell the difference, but YOU should not be afraid of strangers either. Statistically speaking, over 99% of people are good and want to help.
Stanger Danger totally needs to be scrapped. It should be replaced with Healthy Boundaries. What we need to teach kids is how to set appropriate boundaries for their bodies AND minds, and recognize when someone crosses them. When that boundary is crossed, the child needs to know that it's okay to say NO, even to an adult. And they need to know that it's okay to tell an adult they trust. EVEN a stranger, if they don't feel like they can trust the adults in their situation.
Teaching kids to set boundaries isn't just about physical touch, it's also about boundaries for things that they know are too mature for them...like being around people who engage in unhealthy acts or speech. Or coming across a TV or radio or internet media that is too mature. Because I've taught my kids that adults and children are on different levels of emotional maturity, to this day, my 9 year old will change the channel if he sees a show that is geared towards adults. He'll say, "Mom, I'm going to change it...I don't think this is for kids."
But he's not afraid of anyone. And should someone cross his emotional and physical boundaries, he will tell them to stop and immediately leave.
Best of luck! And don't worry so much.
Normal. My daughter loves any woman with red hair and makes them her instant friends. She climbs on their laps or climbs onto the couch behind them to play with their hair.
Perfectly normal 2.5 year old behavior. Expect it to continue until the next big developmental leap.
