The obsession started at the zoo.
During the warmer months, we visit the zoo every few weeks. At around two years old, my son started pointing at the zoo signs whenever we drove past. “I want to go to the animal zoo!” he’d exclaim (errr, demand). Living only a mile and a half away, this became a common discussion. There may have been a few white lies about the “animal zoo” being closed.
He was gifted a set of animal figurines for Christmas, and the interest intensified.
He discovered The Lion King. The movie, the soundtrack, the characters. More animal toys. More zoo trips. Then the discovery of The Lion Guard on Disney Junior. More books, pajamas, and T-shirts featuring his favorite animals.
My son is now a full-fledged preschooler, and the animal obsession continues. He brings a few animals with him every time we get into the car. He acts out scenes and carefully arranges them in elaborate sets throughout the house. I often find them underfoot in unexpected places.
In your family, it might be superheroes, princesses, dinosaurs, or something else. But chances are, most of you can relate. I recently discovered that 70% of preschool-age kids have a “consuming interest.” (I learned this when I couldn’t sleep one night because I was worried that there was something “wrong” with my baby, which led to my dear husband Googling “preschooler obsession” and reassuring me that our son was just fine.)
When I learned this is a common phenomenon, I decided to embrace it. Instead of cringing every time my son asks to bring his figurines to the park, I anticipate it. “Which animals are you bringing along today?” Instead of begging him to take a break from his scenes to do another activity, I join in. My husband has visited The Lion Guard Wiki page more times than either of us can count, and he is almost as excited as our son when a new episode pops up on the DVR.
There is a line in the book The Universe Has Your Back: “What if I just chose for this to be fun?” What if? A lot of parenting is fun, if we can remember that it is. We lose so much playfulness as we become adults. I’m intentionally choosing to let my son guide me back to it. His animals are a vehicle for that.
Now we use his interest to create stories, to promote empathy, to do simple math. “If I have two animals, and you have three, how many will we have together?” He uses them to be social; he asks strangers if they’ve ever seen The Lion Guard and invites his friends to play scenes. We even take this opportunity to learn about, you know, actual animals. (Did you know that lions rest for 20 hours a day? If you’ve talked to my son recently, you probably did.)
These obsessions last less than a year, on average, so one day my son may throw this enthusiasm behind a new interest. He might be this excited to make music. Play baseball. Study up on a project for school. Cook. Advance his career. The way we respond now is what he will carry with him. I hope he is learning to go all-in and to support those he loves in doing the same.
Meanwhile, I’m looking forward to seeing what his obsession will teach us next.
