On this week's 'Parenting' segment on the Moncrieff show, one listener sought advice about her child who refuses to take off his Spiderman costume.
Joanna Fortune, psychotherapist specialising in Child & Adult Psychotherapy, joined Newstalk to answer this and other listeners' questions.
The question:
"My 6-year-old boy got a Spiderman costume from Santa. Since then I think it’s been fair to say he basically is Spiderman.
"He’s gone full Daniel Day Lewis method actor and is inseparable from the costume. Even when he’s having a bath it’s a pain getting him to take it off and he even narrates about how, “Spiderman doesn’t reveal his identity”.
"At first this was very entertaining but he’s a nightmare now when I try to take it off him. How do I get him out of it and out of character before he gets back to school without ruining this Christmas present he loves so much?"
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Joanna’s answer:
“Well done, Santa, on a great gift. It’s been very well received. Spot on gift for little Spiderman.
“And he’s having so much fun with it and you know at six years old they’re really in that stage 3 developmental play which is all about roleplay.
“And you know it is about becoming characters, immersing yourself in what you imagine to be the experience of someone else. That can be playing teachers or parents or children or doctors and patients and it can be superhero play!
“So this is a really appropriate type of play and it just sounds like he’s getting so much joy out of it and that’s all great. But yeah, gotta go back to school! And after a certain amount of time that costume is going to start smelling - I totally get the challenge with that.
“I wonder if as parents you could reach out to Santa, or indeed Spiderman himself and ask if they could write a letter. Just reminding the little guy that all superheroes have their regular clothes and their regular day today things - like work or school. They don’t get to wear their costumes all the time.
“Just remind him of that because he might have forgotten.”
She continued:
“Just reminding him that we have to wear regular clothes to be regular people some of the time and then we get to be superheroes at special times.
“And adding in a line that, ‘All superheroes have laundry day as well’. Because they don’t want their costumes to be stinky because then people would see them coming because they would smell them coming and it’s very important that the costumes stay fresh.
“So I would outsource this to Santa or Spiderman to write a letter that can arrive in the post, very formal and just explain this to your son. Go as creative as possible because I know Spiderman would send a very special letter and I think that that’s the best way.”
Picture by: @SpiderManMovie on Twitter
