Did Caylee Have Any Playmates?

[TxRose]

"Seem to" or "probably" is really all we can say, because we don't know the A's and have not actually seen it ourselves.

I will say, just one look at pictures around that house would suggest to anyone it was a more than suitable physical environment for a 2 year old. Casey has been described by most every one who was privy as a "good mother" who was concerned about the interests of her child up until Caylee went missing. Which ironically, is bonus points for the defense as far as proving any sort of prior neglect.
However, I'm sure more details of how Caylee spent her days with her mother will come out in court. It surely won't come from Casey herself though...

I agree with you that the A's home seemed to be a more than adequate physical environment for Caylee. It seemed to me that all of her physical needs were being met, and she had plenty of toys, books and other items to keep her "stimulated". The fact that she may or may not have had alot of interaction with children her own age is not much of a factor for me. She was only 2. Now if she had been of school age - and not had any friends or social interaction, I would have found that very weird! But from what I can see - she had plenty of love, attention and affection from members of her family. Not to say that Casey may or may not have toted her around from place to place (perhaps even neglectfully), but she was loved by her family. JMO.

 

[LinasK]

I agree with you that the A's home seemed to be a more than adequate physical environment for Caylee. It seemed to me that all of her physical needs were being met, and she had plenty of toys, books and other items to keep her "stimulated". The fact that she may or may not have had alot of interaction with children her own age is not much of a factor for me. She was only 2. Now if she had been of school age - and not had any friends or social interaction, I would have found that very weird! But from what I can see - she had plenty of love, attention and affection from members of her family. Not to say that Casey may or may not have toted her around from place to place (perhaps even neglectfully), but she was loved by her family. JMO.

She could still have made the effort to seek out free storytimes at the local library, take her to the zoo, meet other kids at the park, play places, play with neighbor kids...

Storytimes at Borders and Barnes& Noble are free too, and they provide a small snack for the kids.

Also, swim classes are inexpensive ways to interact with other kids her own age, or dance classes...

 

[TxRose]

Also, swim classes are inexpensive ways to interact with other kids her own age, or dance classes...

I didn't have any friends with children when I had my daughter...and we lived in a neighborhood with very few children. So she didn't have alot of regular playmates either at that age. She wouldn't do any "classes" unless I was right there beside her...and most wouldn't allow that. LOL. So I took advantage of Gymboree and swimming lessons as well! But she really didn't interact with the other kids very much because of the nature of the classes. I certainly don't have pictures of her with the other kids that were there.

Now about the time she was turning 3, we moved into a neighborhood with lots of kids. She had alot of playmates, started being brave about attending a gymnastics class all by herself (LOL), etc. I even had her in a mom's day out one day a week so she would get that social interaction.

I think Caylee was just on the verge of being that age to start alot of that stuff. The fact that she didn't do it earlier is not bothersome to me. Some kids do and some don't. So the fact that we haven't seen pictures of Caylee with other kids her age may be for the same reasons I stated above. I don't think we can reach a conclusion that she was kept away from other kids simply because we haven't seen pictures to the contrary. That's all I am trying to say.

 

[TxRose]

She could still have made the effort to seek out free storytimes at the local library, take her to the zoo, meet other kids at the park, play places, play with neighbor kids...

Storytimes at Borders and Barnes& Noble are free too, and they provide a small snack for the kids.

I agree and did all those things with my girl too. Very inexpensive and fun things to do with your toddler.

But how do we know that the A's didn't do that with Caylee?

 

[Cat13067]

Casey wouldn't think of putting Caylee in a daycare like other mothers, because they cost money. We all know Zenaida was watching Caylee for free....yeah right!

 

[Chilly Willy]

I agree and did all those things with my girl too. Very inexpensive and fun things to do with your toddler.

But how do we know that the A's didn't do that with Caylee?

Very good point. Sometimes it seems we expect that every moment of Caylee's life was captured on film and has been released to the media. In reality we've only had brief glimpses into her life and should not assume that, because we aren't aware of something, it didn't happen. Caylee may even have cut things with scissors - how would we know?

 

[Marple]

I never saw a photo of Caylee eating a hamburger. Is that proof she never had one?

 

[BetsyB]

I understand the concerns in the first post, but think they would have been premature, were Caylee still alive. Two-year-olds quite often don't have much social life outside the family--it's not atypical, and it's not unhealthy. Preschool and daycare usually do mark the introduction to "outside" socialization, and many children do not start preschool until they are mid-3s to 4s.

Toddlers don't really play together--they parallel play. Missing out on this does not delay a child, really, in terms of social development.

Being taken to the grocery store by grandparents, swimming, going for walks and saying hi to the neighbors, etc--all of those things helped provide what a very small little girl needed. There's no reason to think that her social needs were not met; she was loved, and that is what mattered.

 

[TxRose]

I understand the concerns in the first post, but think they would have been premature, were Caylee still alive. Two-year-olds quite often don't have much social life outside the family--it's not atypical, and it's not unhealthy. Preschool and daycare usually do mark the introduction to "outside" socialization, and many children do not start preschool until they are mid-3s to 4s.

Toddlers don't really play together--they parallel play. Missing out on this does not delay a child, really, in terms of social development.

Being taken to the grocery store by grandparents, swimming, going for walks and saying hi to the neighbors, etc--all of those things helped provide what a very small little girl needed. There's no reason to think that her social needs were not met; she was loved, and that is what mattered.

:clap::clap::clap: Thank you for summing it up better than I did! I think her needs were met adequately for her age. This is one area I refuse to pick on the A's about.

 

[TxRose]

I never saw a photo of Caylee eating a hamburger. Is that proof she never had one?

Perhaps she was a vegetarian. The A's said she loved green beans. But then again....I never saw a pic of that either. Hmmm. Perhaps they were lying for some sinister reason. (Hope you can hear my sarcasm....LOL).:crazy:

 

[secretsquirrel]

right, i think you misinterpreted what i said. since Caylee wouldn't have had the fine motor skills to color in the lines, she should not have been given coloring books. at least this is what i learned when i studied early childhood development in relation to art. when i see parents of young children purchasing coloring books for their toddlers, i just want to smack them out of their hands. the other thing that drives me nuts, when children make turkeys out of their hands. let them draw a turkey, let them use their imagination. who cares if it looks like a turkey.
of course she would have needed help getting dressed but what two year old doesn't want to pick out what she is going to wear????

Coloring books are one good way for kids to develop fine motor skills. There is no requirement to color in the lines. I understand your point about creativity and drawing rather than coloring, but they are absolutely a way for kids to get comfy with crayons.

Also wanted to mention that it's true that kids are just beginning parallel play at age 2 and should be into interactive by age 3, but such playdates are important for parent sanity and that's important too. The more of a support system a parent raising a young child has, the better. It really does help to have friends that you all do activities with.

 

[Shaymus at The Rock]

LOL...my kids definitely used their imaginations at that age when coloring in coloring books, and they weren't concerned at all about staying in the lines. Scissors, tape, and glue are too advanced for a 2 year old.

Caylee was much closer to 3 than to 2. Scissors, tape and glue are not inappropriate for an almost 3 year old. Go to any preschool and you will see tons of projects involving blunt edged scissors, tape, glue, glitter, finger paint, etc. Specifically, the use of scissors develops important fine motor skills and is important in early childhood skills development.

http://www.gandetherapies.com/PDF Files/TheImportanceofTeachingYourChildHowToUseScissors.pdf

Sympathy for the Anthony's awful current situation should not preclude a realistic assessment of Caylee's childhood environment. Believe me, once Caylee was finally enrolled in a school program, these gaps would have been noted and addressed.

 

[Shaymus at The Rock]

Caylee is playing with another child in some of these photo's not neccessarily the same age group, but shows she did interact with other children.

http://www.docstoc.com/docs/1694915/Casey-Anthony-BBQ-Party-Photos-January-2008

I could have swore I saw a couple other photo's somewhere but don't recall where

I think I may be looking at the wrong link. Were there supposed to be toddlers, other than Caylee, in the pix ?

 

[Shaymus at The Rock]

Also, swim classes are inexpensive ways to interact with other kids her own age, or dance classes...

or ANYTHING that didn't revolve around her mother and/or grandmother.

 

[Theonly1]

I agree with you that the A's home seemed to be a more than adequate physical environment for Caylee. It seemed to me that all of her physical needs were being met, and she had plenty of toys, books and other items to keep her "stimulated". The fact that she may or may not have had alot of interaction with children her own age is not much of a factor for me. She was only 2. Now if she had been of school age - and not had any friends or social interaction, I would have found that very weird! But from what I can see - she had plenty of love, attention and affection from members of her family. Not to say that Casey may or may not have toted her around from place to place (perhaps even neglectfully), but she was loved by her family. JMO.

I agree that Caylee seemed adequately stimulated, if not OVERstimulated.

Looking at pics of the A family home I'm amazed by all the STUFF. Caylee enough toys for three families of children. The As seem to be "collectors" (i.e., Mr. Potato head, Winnie the Pooh, asian-themed stuff, Star Wars, etc.).

They certainly spared no expense on Caylee. While Casey was texting and bitching that some of her underwear was from highschool (when thinking about the things she needed to purchase for Puerto Rico), Caylee had more things to wear than she possibly could!

 

[FightTheOstrich]

So are you saying you shouldn't give coloring books to a child that can't color inside the lines? Yet you are a proponent of allowing them to use their "imagination" when creating art? That sounds contradictory to me. Who cares if they color inside the lines? Who cares if they color a tree that is purple? As long as they are enjoying themselves it shouldn't matter. My daughter wanted coloring books at that age - and I bought them. She couldn't really color them well, but she liked the pictures of the characters she recognized. She would scribble on them. Gradually, she improved at her motor skills and would "color inside the lines". But honestly - the ones where she didn't are the cutest and most cherished by me.

By the way - I also bought her books to look at even though she couldn't read. Oops. :crazy: Guess that's why she is in the gifted program in middle school now....hmmmm.

it isn't about coloring inside the lines. obviously, following directions i.e. color the ball red and coloring inside the lines are part of preschool and lower elementary. my point w/ coloring books is that it tells a child that this is what a tree looks like and teaches them to let someone else determine what is correct. a little of this is okay but not a lot. my daughter has thousands of books, before she could read she would tell us the story based on the pictures using her imagination, this is quite natural. i'm sure most parents do this, you as well it seems. you'd be surprised by how many children have started school and have never held a crayon or book. so you gave your child a huge jump and obviously it paid off.

 

[TxRose]

I agree that Caylee seemed adequately stimulated, if not OVERstimulated.

Looking at pics of the A family home I'm amazed by all the STUFF. Caylee enough toys for three families of children. The As seem to be "collectors" (i.e., Mr. Potato head, Winnie the Pooh, asian-themed stuff, Star Wars, etc.).

They certainly spared no expense on Caylee. While Casey was texting and bitching that some of her underwear was from highschool (when thinking about the things she needed to purchase for Puerto Rico), Caylee had more things to wear than she possibly could!

Yes - she did have alot of "stuff". But she was an only child, and only grandchild. I am sure she was totally spoiled with gifts. I am sure they spent money on her that they didn't spend on themselves. I still do that with my daughter!

 

[OneLostGrl]

Goodness, I can't help but to wonder if society's over stimulating of it's children could have something to do with the state of the world today.

 

[TxRose]

it isn't about coloring inside the lines. obviously, following directions i.e. color the ball red and coloring inside the lines are part of preschool and lower elementary. my point w/ coloring books is that it tells a child that this is what a tree looks like and teaches them to let someone else determine what is correct. a little of this is okay but not a lot. my daughter has thousands of books, before she could read she would tell us the story based on the pictures using her imagination, this is quite natural. i'm sure most parents do this, you as well it seems. you'd be surprised by how many children have started school and have never held a crayon or book. so you gave your child a huge jump and obviously it paid off.

I agree with you that imagination is important! My daughter would also tell her own stories, make her own "books", draw silly things, etc. - just like your daughter. I agree that it gives them a head start for school.

But I respectfully still disagree about the coloring books. Clearly I wouldn't want her spending all day with just coloring books - too much of anything isn't good! I just think it's a big leap to say a coloring book teaches a child what something should look like. Coloring books are just pictures that have not been colored....and they allow the child to choose the special way in which they would like to see it colored. That is their purpose, and that is where imagination comes in to play. Now if you were a parent who insisted they colored things the way they truly appear in nature...that would clearly teach the child exactly what you are saying!

In any case...we have obviously been brilliant mothers and raised brilliant, creative children eh? LOL

 

[Disguiseduser0308]

It doesn't seem she did but let us not forget that play dates and non-familial socialization is a recent phenomenon. I'm in my mid-thirties and had little to no playmates or social activities other than ones that involved family until I stated Kindergarten.

I don't believe you have to have little friends & social events for your child to be well-rounded and in a stimulating learning environment. Parents and family relationships are the biggest teachers of all.