Have you ever felt you might die if you have to hear about Minecraft one more time? We’ve all been there.
You’re driving, shopping, cleaning, or working, and a child in your life is telling you an encyclopedia’s worth of information on a topic you aren’t interested in. Minecraft, ponies, Pokémon, cars, hockey, rocks, architecture, dinosaurs, trains… it could be anything.
This phenomenon is commonly known as “info dumping” and can be part of a normal developmental phase, or a common trait of many adults and children who are neurodiverse. While in the moment this experience can be frustrating or downright irritating, the person or child who is oversharing is actually showing you deep trust and love in wanting to share their special interest and knowledge with you.
If you’re experiencing info dumping with your child, it is important to work on establishing boundaries on sharing by setting limits on time or situations for the topic. Maybe the rule is no more than an hour of information on fish per day, perhaps there is no discussion of Pokémon allowed during meals, or that discussing Greek mythology is limited only to when we build puzzles. Once you’ve established limits on how much and when the information can be shared, the task becomes for you as the caregiver to be an active listener and take an interest in what they are sharing.
This is an excellent opportunity to teach and model social and communication skills. Listen to the information that is being shared and ask questions. If the interest is general, offer opportunities to learn more by visiting a local festival, museum, or library program. If their interest is more specific, take the time to learn how to play the game, read some of the books, or watch the movie/television show with them. Who knows? Maybe you’ll end up taking an interest with them and finding a hobby you can share with your child (or, maybe you’ll still find Minecraft boring and be counting the minutes until the topic is over, and that’s okay, too).
No matter what, you’ll be teaching and modelling important social skills that your child needs to navigate the world, and you will be building moments of connection and making supportive, caring memories with your child.
Trista is a stay-at-home mom and loves to share her discoveries about how to make life work for families of all kinds.
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