Symptoms with no disease

By Jessamyn

Lately, every day is filled with Katie's sneezing. And coughing. And yawning.

I don't know exactly when it started, but at some point during the week before last, when my mom was taking care of Katie during the day (my husband was out of town at a conference), Katie's symptoms grew out of control. The other day, in the car, she must have sneezed 10 times in a row.

No, she's not sick. All of these behaviors are completely voluntary. Still, she expects us to say "bless you" after she sneezes, and she covers her mouth when she "coughs." And sometimes her yawning, although contrived, is still contagious.

I don't know why, but I'm incredibly interested in the fact that she is doing all of these things. When people ask me what Katie is up to these days, the first thing that comes to mind is that she's "doing fake things" now. For some reason, this kind of imitation seems like a significant developmental step. Maybe it's because these behaviors are the first time I've ever been aware that Katie is pretending –- and that she knows she is. She's perfectly aware that although she sometimes does these things involuntarily, she can now also do them on demand. Not only does she entertain herself when she does it, but it's clear that she expects us to be entertained by her, too –- and of course we almost always are. Usually, she also wants us to play the game, too, and to follow her sneezes with loud fake sneezes of our own.

Katie is 17 months old now. I have no idea whether her "fake things" are typical of her age or not. Still, the fact that this little person, who can only say somewhere around 10 to 15 words, and who can't even figure out how to jump up and down, is smart enough to differentiate what's real from what's pretend. This amazes me.

And it's also another sign that she is watching us closely, and not only imitating what she sees, but also making judgments about whether we really mean what we say and do. Before too long, I may have to use all my acting ability the next time I need to stifle a grin.

Jessamyn lives in Chicago with her daughter and husband.

Comments

[Nicola]

Its definitely the age. I have a cold right now (in August?!) and Kellan rushes in every time I blow my nose, grabs some toilet paper, then crinkles up his nose blowing while randomly swiping the paper around his face. When people cough, he always mimics it, covering his mouth politely like he learned from his granny.

Like Joy, I had a funny experience this week when Kellan grabbed my watch from the dresser and started trying to put it on his opposite wrist. I didn't think he knew where watches go! And also this week he grabbed a baby stroller at a friend's house, then walked straight over to a doll, put her in the stroller, and headed off for a walk around the house. They observe *everything*!

[kelly]

Lila coughed and sneezed a lot around that age, always looking at us for a reaction. Now she's moved on to other behaviors to imitate, and let me tell you...it's making me look bad.

[joy]

around 17 months jake was sitting at the table with me eating breakfast. i gave him a linen napkin - the kind that my husband and i use for dinner. without any prompting from me, he put the napkin on his lap, patted it down and proceeded to eat his banana. then he, oh so carefully, lifted the corner and wiped his mouth after he took a bite of his food. i did all i could not to laugh out loud. but i agree how amazing it is that he imitates us in ways we don't even realize.