Play is a child's work, and it's how they learn from, communicate with, and relate to the world.
Lately, Firecracker and I have been “playing” lots of games. This is how it goes:
Firecracker: “shall we…. play cookies?”
Me: “sure” gets cookies down.
F: opens, dumps out, lets me touch a few of the cards, maybe a spoon, then sings “CLEAN UP, CLEAN UP!”
And we put it away.
F: “shall we…. play…. Scidoo?” (Scooby Doo)
Me: “sure” gets Scooby down.
F: opens, dumps out, lets me touch a few cards, identifies Scooby and Shaggy, then sings “Clean Up, Clean Up!”
And we put it away.
F: "shall we.... color?"
Me: "sure" gets out paper and crayons, draws a face with a belly button, in the color she chooses
F: "clean up, clean up!"
And we put it away.
F: “shall we… play… Castle?”
You can imagine things from there. Thing is, we do this a
On the one hand, I love that we’re getting one game down at a time, and cleaning it up before we get the next one. I love that we can just sit together and be. I love that I’ve finally got the maturity to understand that all children need a part of their day where they completely call the shots. It’s fun to reflect back the words she says, and in that simple act, watch her learn and process her world and get excited about new words. It's even more fascinating to hear her "get" bits of grammar, simply by listening to me speak to her.
But sometimes I want to get up to use the bathroom without her screaming "Come HERE!" :)
1 comment:
Sally--I so wish I had written down conversations you kids had when you were small like Firecracker. When I was pregnant with Jeremy, it was through the winter, into spring. We had a BIG picture window in the living room facing the driveway for the two duplexes that faced each other.
You would stand on that stool that Grandpa Eastman had made me and look out the window at the kids that lived behind us ride their trikes and Big Wheels (oh, the noise!). You were so desparate to get out there and play. And I was so tired... Because when I would take you outside, you would run off, to the BIG park next to us, or the baseball diamonds (3-where city ball was played). And were you FAST. I literally could not catch you. I was counting the minutes and seconds until you dad got home.
And the questions you asked. What, why, when... Is the Firecracker a possible example of karma?
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