A child’s repeated story may be practicing the feeling of being heard.

Repetition in a child is often about the listener rather than the tale. Telling the same small event for the fifth time is a way of testing whether attention arrives again, whether the face still turns, whether they are still interesting to you. The content is almost incidental. What is being rehearsed is the experience of mattering enough to be listened to.

When the story comes round again, try giving it thirty seconds of genuine attention rather than half a nod. Ask one specific question about it. That question does more than patience, and it usually shortens the retelling too.