Alter-egos

When I was a child, my mum had an alter-ego called Betty. Betty had a Birmingham accent and would sometimes persuade me to do things I didn’t want to do, such as getting dressed, brushing my teeth and so on. I don’t believe (though I should probably check with my mum) that I in anyway instigated the creation of Betty. I think my mum created her to help with the whole getting a toddler to do things they don’t want to do problem. We use puppets in much the same way.

My daughter, however, has decided recently that I’m Dorothy (from The Wizard of Oz). It started with her naming one of her cuddly dogs Toto (yes, she had been watching The Wizard of Oz quite a lot). I asked if she was Dorothy and she decided that she wasn’t, but that I was. But it’s grown from there. She calls me Dorothy when we’re out and about, now. She will sometimes refuse to listen to me unless I confirm that I am Dorothy. Instead of calling out Mummy in the middle of the night she calls out Dorothy.

It’s really quite strange and I hover between finding it cute and endearing and worrying about whether I should be discouraging it.

Tonight she decided that her dad is Charlie (presumably Lola’s elder brother). I wonder if we should be investigating deed polls, and maybe throwing out the TV?