crisismagazine.com
2023-05-16
Our granddaughter, who is not yet four years of age, knows exactly what she wants to do with her life. "I want to be a carrot," she announced the other day, "so people can put me in their salad." "A pink carrot," she added, "because pink is for girls. And I'm a girl!"
It turns out she also aspires to become a cupcake--the better to be eaten, I suppose--but, again, only if the color is pink.
What's going on here? I mean, besides clear and endearing evidence of a lively imagination. Should we be concerned? Might there be a need for therapy? Only if the fixation persists long after childhood. If she's twenty-something and still longs to be eaten, then maybe we should worry. But little girls identifying with carrots and cupcakes seems perfectly normal. Especially when they're pink.