Thursday, June 09, 2005

What's going on in their heads?

I was watching my 5 year old play today. Really watching.

She was "feeding" her baby doll. If she knew what quotes meant she would be furious because to her she was feeding her baby. Baby was eating take-out tonight, so she asked me to watch her while she grabbed her coupon and purse to head out to the restaurant (upstairs). When she arrived back home, the same room upstairs had become the kitchen. Everytime she needed something it was back upstairs to the kitchen. (And I'm thinking, take a rest, why not make the kitchen the chair 5 feet away?) She shook the food on to the plate, not with a cursory shake, but each container for 15 seconds or so. She was making sure that every last bit of "food" (there I go again) made it out of that jar. She explained how this food was supposed to be served and as she served it, she scraped every last morsel. (Good mothers never waste food.) She later informed me that it was time for her baby to color. "Isn't she a little young for that?" I asked, expecting her to agree. "No," was her matter-of-fact reply. She went on to recount how a friend's 8 mo old baby brother colored on a piece of paper and "didn't scribble scrabble" so her baby could do the same.

I don't recall whether I ever had that developed an imagination or not; but I do know, I don't have it now. Of course, she's learning, practicing, because probably one day, like me, she'll have to actually prepare food and bathe children and help them color. I've learned all I've needed to using the "imaginative play" method. Or have I? I'll have to think about that.

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