a time to play

Owen and I spend a lot of time together during the day, just playing. Sometimes it is initiated by this mama, but often it is directed by Owen himself and I become more of an observer. He is a delight to be with and can carry on quite the conversation. Here's a snippet from a recent animal encounter on my desk.

Owen: Want to play, mama? Want to play right now?

Mama: Okay.

Owen: Okay, you get this one and this one. These guys come from the ocean, these are dinosaurs, and this one is a gecko.





Owen: Boom, boom, boom! (they all pile up) Look, he's taking him on a ride into the desert. Want to play, mama?

Mama: What should I do?

Owen: I'll play too. Come play with me. (Speaking as the monkey) I want some 'nanas! Yummy! Bruce (the shark) ate some, kinda... Yum! now they all ate. Now they are all not hungry. Now they are eating one more batch. Now they have to go to bed, in my own bed.

Owen pushes all of the animals through the crib slats.

Mama: Goodnight animals.

Owen: I'll go to bed too. The kid will go to bed too.

Owen climbs into his crib and continues to play with the animals for 45 minutes, entertaining himself and amusing the mama. Active imagination is a good thing; you won't find us cancelling curiosity in this house (as King Friday did in the Neighborhood of Make-Believe--episode 1, season 30, Mister Rogers).