Did Caylee Have Any Playmates?

[capps]

I tend to think that when Casey watched Caylee she gave her the basics:fed her,dressed her,took her in the car to do what Casey wanted to do,plant Caylee in front of the tv with kiddie videos while Casey was on the phone or computer,put Caylee on a chair with a book when Casey visited her girlfriends/boyfriends. No real bonding. I think the real hands on bonding came from George and Cindy.

 

[capps]

As a daddy that has his girl to himself 3 days a week, I can tell you...no....there are no daddy clubs and the mommy and me clubs usually exclude the daddies. I've have gotten the cold shoulder by many a group of women at the park who assume a man out with his daughter on a weekday must be an unemployed loser.

But getting back to KC. I think there have been no pics released with other kids to protect the other kids. My DD is a couple days older than KC and we've done a lot of socialization with her but a lot of the time she just wants to stay home and play with her Barbie dolls. At 2 years old, kids don't play with other kids much. They parallel play. Meaning they'll play alone, next to other children but they don't really form those interactive relationships until about 4 or 5. (depending on the child)

I agree with your second paragraph about the parallel play for 2 year olds. You are so smart,and sound like a wonderful father!

 

[MomofBoys]

It sure does to me. Poor thing. No evidence of any normal children's milieau, other than what her grandparents provided. Are you telling me that the only environment your children had between ages 2 and 3 was inside your house?

My bold. That's a pretty big 'other than' though.

It seems like GA and CA provided for her very well, and we have no idea what they did or didn't do in course of the week. The backyard was like a princess play yard. They went swimming. They went to the beach. I guarantee you they went to Disney and that's probably where Caylee got her princess dresses.

I don't doubt that KC was an apathetic mom most of the time, but I think the As did the best they could in their own situation. They're older people without a lot of friends who are in childrearing stages. She had a lot of material things and material things aren't everything or even most things, but they seemed to try to make a "childlike mileau" out of their own home. For instance, my ILs are beyond done with raising kids. They like their pristine white carpet and white furniture and knick-knacks. They like taking vacations and going to conventions and classes. The As could have done that, but instead they turned their home into a playground and probably supported KC for Caylee's sake.

KC should have been the one to take her to Gymboree or storytimes or to the park, but we know how that ended up. I believe that Caylee probably saw things go on that no two year old has any business seeing, and in that way, there was social disfunction. I just think a child can be a child at that age without coming in contact with a lot of kids. They're just then really getting into imaginative play. They're in a verbal explosion. They like to take walks and pick up every rock they come across. My son likes to WATCH other kids, and he'll laugh and exclaim "Kihs!" (Kids.) But when given the chance, he doesn't really want to play with them. He wants to observe them. Laugh at their games, whatever. He'll mimic, but not participate.

With Caylee, that could have been accomplished with a trip to the playground at Florida Mall. I know I don't take pictures of my children with the kids at the mall.

We just can't know what she was exposed to, good or...bad.

 

[anastacia129]

I wondered this early on in the case and never found any info of her having any little friends, not even at b-day parties. I don't think it's that odd really, if my son didn't go to daycare/preschool and none of my friends had children, he wouldn't have any playmates either.

 

[elfie]

There was another little boy in one of the dancing videos early on. He looked to be 3 or 4.

 

[Shaymus at The Rock]

Caylee was the most photographed child I have ever heard of and rest assured that if she had had any little friends there would have been cute pictures of them playing.

ITA

It has always seemed sad to me how isolated little Caylee was. At almost three, she should have had regular play dates with little friends, kiddie birthday parties to go to, fun classes, etc. She had none of these - so sad.

 

[alphaville]

Well, between the ages of 2 and 3 my kids weren't really playing with other kids either..... not until they started pre-school. The only exceptions being family get togethers when they'd see their cousins.

Caylee's social life (or lack thereof) doesn't seem that odd imo.

Same with my now 11 year old. At age two she didn't have any young friends because I didn't know anyone with young children ( I was 22 when she was 2.) Daycare was very expensive.

I now have a 4 month old and am older and wiser and know he needs to eventually socialize. I go to story time with him and that will probably be it until he is in free pre-school (VPK age 4.) I've looked into part-time day care for next year so I can take some classes and it's outrageously expensive (400/mo at least.) My husband makes a decent living and we still would have a hard time swinging that.

So no, I do not think it's unusual considering KC's age that she wasn't running out joining mom and me groups or putting CA in daycare because of the cost.

 

[Marple]

My healthy, happy well-adjusted adult sons were not in daycare and didn't socialize with children outside the family until they entered Kindergarten. They did have cousins near their age that they would see frequently and they saw other children weekly at Sunday school. I personally don't think that Caylee was deprived of anything and seemed well-cared for by her grandparents.

As a young mother, KC's friends were at a different place in their lives and weren't out having children yet. I think Caylee's situation was normal for many first born children.

 

[karenmamo]

I searched for a thread on this and couldn't find one.

I am starting this because I think we need to investigate this particular area as it could go to motive.

I have noticed that the A's provided beautifully for Caylee, the backyard was a child's playground, a pool, swings, playhouse, sandbox. Her bedroom was a beautiful little girl's room. I was impressed with her little crib/bed that she could easily climb into. She had cute little clothes and accessories.

However, I have been struck by the the fact that there appears to be no evidence that she had little friends, cousins, playmates, playdates. I see no evidence that she was ever in pre-school, nursery school, Sunday school, etc. Even with a fake nanny, she would have at least had playmates. Did the A's think this little Caylee was playing with other little children because she was going to the nanny's?

Who took her to the park, the beach? Casey says she and/or the nanny did, but did Caylee really ever get to go on the swings and slides or play in the ocean?

Was Caylee's little life nothing but being hauled around by her mother at various friends' apartments? In the latest doc dump, Annie D states that she noticed that Caylee had "separation anxiety" when ever Casey "put her down" or turned away from her.

Was Caylee continually in strange environments, non-childlike environments that would cause her to cling to the one familiar face, that of her mother?

Is there not one single little neighborhood child she played with?

I think this is important because it appears that this little girl, with the exception of what the grandparents provided for her in their home, never really inhabited a normal, childlike world. Why?

This has bothered me since the case broke. I have commented on this twice. This family seemed isolated.

 

[elissabee]

Whether or not a 2 year old gets to play with other kids depends largely on the parent's circle of friends. The people Casey (or her parents, for that matter) was hanging around with didn't have children, so Caylee didn't see children often. She was a victim of circumstance all the way around.

eta: With regards to preschool, I have a son Caylee's age and he started preschool in September. Poor Caylee didn't have that chance.

 

[USARDOG]

Oh yes she had playmates, KC says she use to play with jeff's children all the time when she was with Zanny. Grrrr

 

[disappear]

I have a 3 yr old and an 8 yr old. My 3 yr old is very good at cooperative play with other children, but I think that is because he has played with his older sister since the day he was still warm out of the oven! We take him to church at least twice a week and I go to the gym just about every day where he gets to play with children his own age. I have thought about putting him in daycare a couple of days a week for a few hours, but I am a stay at home mom and I would feel guilty putting him in the care of someone else when I would be just sitting at home waiting to go pick him up. I know that this is not an excuse that KC could use, to feel like you should be doing more for your own child. He is growing up so fast already, and soon he will be off all day at school. I cherish this time that I have with him, before too long it will be over and he will be grown. *sniff, sniff* My heart breaks that CA and GA never got the chance to be teary eyed with the first day of school for Caylee. They never got to be the "good kind of heartsick" with knowing that she is growing up at a rapid rate and that she is becoming her own person. If this case has taught me anything it is that I need to appreciate my children more and hold onto every bit of them as I can while at the same time letting them go and grow. Roots and wings...it is a difficult balancing act. Caylee lives still in our hearts and in the way that we as parents and grandparents look at our sweet little blessings with even more appreciation for the gifts that we have been given. Caylee has plenty of little playmates now. A bit of silver lining, I suppose.
Sorry, I guess that was just mostly a ramble, wasn't it? Here is hoping that it made sense to at least one of you!

 

[FightTheOstrich]

I tend to think that when Casey watched Caylee she gave her the basics:fed her,dressed her,took her in the car to do what Casey wanted to do,plant Caylee in front of the tv with kiddie videos while Casey was on the phone or computer,put Caylee on a chair with a book when Casey visited her girlfriends/boyfriends. No real bonding. I think the real hands on bonding came from George and Cindy.

ITA, during Caylee's memorial when the A family talked about Caylee's interests, they centered around T.V. and movies. She loved Bambi, she love Monsters Inc., etc... Far too much time in front of the T.V. in my opinion. Caylee clearly didn't have much creative/imagination time.

 

[icherish]

I remember Kristina C. saying she and Casey would get together and take Caylee and her little son to the park on occasion. Which imo, is typical and appropriate for toddlers as far as playmates are concerned.

Playmates and forming friendships become much more important and meaningful to children beyond the age of 3, as they gain attention span, social and cooperative skills. It makes me so sad that Caylee did not even live long enough to experience this. :cry:

 

[shotzie]

I have to disagree with people saying pre schools aren't good for children..I was 16 when I had my boy. and single I put him in pre school at 2..

Today he is a College Professor( I am so proud of him) and I really think his learning an socializing at that pre school was a god send..

If you never had your child socialize how would you know if it is good or bad..

My grandaughter had a birthday at 1 with a lot of kids and a magician..which I thought was overkill, but all the kids would squeal when he did the rabbit trick

I think if more people socialized more, we would have a happier world..:woohoo:Not the all about ME..
as far as the A's, didn't they have friends that were grandparents they could share caylee with or did they really have any friends? That is a big question.

 

[icherish]

ITA, during Caylee's memorial when the A family talked about Caylee's interests, they centered around T.V. and movies. She loved Bambi, she love Monsters Inc., etc... Far too much time in front of the T.V. in my opinion. Caylee clearly didn't have much creative/imagination time.

I disagree. Most of us have seen photos and videos of Caylee drawing, coloring, dancing, playing her sandbox, her playhouse, playing dress up, the list goes on. These activities were very much a part of Caylee's short life, and that is a good thing.

 

[dunlurken]

I disagree. Most of us have seen photos and videos of Caylee drawing, coloring, dancing, playing her sandbox, her playhouse, playing dress up, the list goes on. These activities were very much a part of Caylee's short life, and that is a good thing.

But that time was spent alone without other children her own age. I am a total advocate of preschool. If you can afford it. Casey didn't work, so could not afford a very expensive "baby sitter", so she created Zanny.

My grand daughter is three and better on the computer than my husband. LOL. For her third birthday (one week after Caylee's), she had 15 children and about 20 adults. All the kids were from her pre-school plus some cousins, new borns, etc.

 

[kageykaren]

Are there any photos showing interactive play with other children? We don't even have a clue what Caylee was doing with mommy during the day when Caylee was supposed to be with a "Nanny" Caylee would have turned 3 had she have not been killed. I haven't seen any discussion in intervies of the A family or KC discussing early childhood learning. The state would have helped KC out. The only comments I have heard about Caylee through her friends are that she was sweet, smart and a flirt! We have heard from KC friends who babysat Caylee that KC put her needs first.

 

[MsRyber]

Well, between the ages of 2 and 3 my kids weren't really playing with other kids either..... not until they started pre-school. The only exceptions being family get togethers when they'd see their cousins.

Caylee's social life (or lack thereof) doesn't seem that odd imo.

Me either. I think this is a stretch.

I have 4 kids, and when we go play cards or whatever on Friday nights or weekends, yeah, they hang out with other children.

At 2, their social calendars involved mom, grandparents and siblings.
The odd time we would have lunch with a friend or something, but for the most part, the social stuff didn't start until 3.5 or 4, when they were in pre-school.

I really don't think Caylee having many friends was very rare. Especially since Casey's social group did not really include people with children, you know?

 

[Ariane]

My healthy, happy well-adjusted adult sons were not in daycare and didn't socialize with children outside the family until they entered Kindergarten. They did have cousins near their age that they would see frequently and they saw other children weekly at Sunday school. I personally don't think that Caylee was deprived of anything and seemed well-cared for by her grandparents.

As a young mother, KC's friends were at a different place in their lives and weren't out having children yet. I think Caylee's situation was normal for many first born children.

There are lots of kids like your sons who grew up to be well adjusted without having their lives so structured with appointments as toddlers or being in daycare.

But it sounds like Caylee did have some interaction with other kids. Kristina Ch. said in her interview with OCSO that Caylee often had playdates with her kids. She said some of Caylee's things were still at her house. She's the one who was on the phone in that jail phone call, where Kristina says she'll just die if anything happened to Caylee, and Casey's reaction to Kristina's heartfelt expression and attempt to sympathize with Casey for her daughter being missing, is that OMG, it is a total waste talking to her. She just wants Tony's number. (I think that playing that appalling call over and over would be a good remedy to help cure Casey's family of their denial.)

Frankly I would rather not put my kids in daycare; we just had a case in the suburbs here where a daycare worker snapped, threw a 1 year old little boy on the floor , he crawled into a chair clutching a blankie for comfort, and died there ; the daycare place did not tell what happend until an autopsy revealed he had a broken skull . :furious: