Parenthood 101: Let's Pretend

[matgb]

See, the scariest thing about getting properly involved with snapesbabe, at least in the early stages, was meeting/getting to know shrublette, her recently 4-year-old. So I was very nervous the first time I stayed while she'd be there rather than at her Dad's. Her reaction?

I'm great. She's drawn graffiti on my Facebook Wall, she's been known to use her toy phone to 'ring' me and generally asks when I'll be visiting next at any point from, oh, the next day onwards. Ergo, we're all good.

So, this week, I'm up for the entire week. After this, snapesbabe is coming back down to London for a week with me. If the relationship survives this, we're pretty set for the long haul I think. Hope so, anyway. Nervous? Naturellement, but it's going well so far.

Of course, staying up here all day every day (I'm working online from SB's desk during the day) means I also have a four-year-old to look after a bit. a four-year-old that like's to play variants on Let's Pretend, in which she gets to be the main character on a TV show, and we have to be the sidekicks. Yup, SB's raising an RPer already.

Today, however, the Let's Pretend was different. After we'd finished dinner, I had to be Sarah (an occasional babysitter), SB got to be Byron the dog, Byron got to be shrublette, and Shrubby was to be Mummy. Hmm, thinks I, but goes along with it because, at a basic level, keeping her amused is part of the whole being here thing, right? Eventually, SB had to go upstairs, so Shrub played around a bit and pointed out that earlier today Mummy had been tidying up (this is true, no router, only one of us can be online and, well, I'm being paid to be so...). So a thought occured.

That's true, Mummies do tidy up, it's part of being a Mummy. You're Mummy at the moment, don't you think you ought to tidy up a bit?

Which she did. Her fairly cool animals jigsaw got carefully put away into its box and the floor cleared, and the whole time she had a massive smile on her face, because she was playing the game, playing her part, and her part meant tidying up. Made me smile a bit anyway. As did SB getting into the spirit by woofing yes/no answers to Shrub's questions.

Odds of it working a second time? Minimal one suspects, but she did at least tidy up her toys, which is more than I ever did at her age...

Comments

Only One Thing To Say To That, Really...

[shakalooloo.livejournal.com]

LOL

[haloskitten.livejournal.com]

Nicely done :P

[bopeepsheep.livejournal.com]

Exactly what happens here. :D smallclanger is Mummy, I am Daddy, Daddy/Granny/anyone else becomes Baby in one common variation. I think they like working out the authority chain this way, it helps them accept that sometimes they *do* have to do what they're told...

[pmoodie.livejournal.com]

I'm glad you and The Shrub have hit it off! :)

[sweetcyanide.livejournal.com]

Aww, glad things are going well :-D Hope the rest of your time there is just as good! x

[staceyuk.livejournal.com]

Awwwwwwwwwwwwww.

[moviegrrl.livejournal.com]

*happy grin*
Glad it's all going well.

[malkavelli.livejournal.com]

Heh, little do you realise you have fallen into a four year olds carefully laid logic trap! She has fully established that mummies tidy up and as she is normally not the mummy, she has dodged all future tidying chores! And made it look like your idea!! M'WUHHAHAHAHAHAHA!!!

Yeh, I still think anyone younger than 6 is inherantly evil.

[tiredstars.livejournal.com]

You'd be surprised how eagerly some children will be helpful given the opportunity. My mum says she saves up stuff for my cousin Daisy to do when she knows she's coming round.