Magical thinking is a typical behavior in which a child believes their thoughts and actions can control outcomes. Take the example of when a pet dies and the young child has to reason with the new concept of loss. The child perceives this loss as something they could have controlled or something they can potentially fix. Examples:

I was at the park with my three year old granddaughter this past weekend. As I was watching the parents running, fetching, pushing, I was reminded of some advice I received from a very wise woman when I had young children. She said, “If you are expending more energy than