PRETEND PLAY WITH SAME AGE PEERS – A PARENTING WIN!

I don’t know about you all, but shortly after I wake up each day, I either have a tiny child staring at me or one of her toys “talking” to me, begging me to wake up and speak back. You may think I’m kidding, but this has been our life for about the past year.

Bianca has learned to change her voice when one of her toys is “talking,” and often uses them to act out her own feelings. The first one is adorable, and the latter is a huge insight into her mental and emotional well-being…although not totally appreciated at 7 am on a Saturday. 😴

But just this week, for the very first time, I got to witness her engage in pretend/dramatic play with another 3-year-old. Folks, my heart ♥️ became a puddle of ice cream on the floor AND it wasn’t me doing all the playing for the first time since March. 🙌🏻 Sure, I was guiding her, but SHE DID IT 👏🏻 and I was beaming with pride. 🌟

So for you moms and dads out there who can’t even go to the bathroom in peace, I completely understand. But know that all the time you spend playing with your kids is time spent teaching and learning. They’re using you as a language model, and your language becomes their language, leading to a more advanced vocabulary than they would get from another child.

When your kids ask you to play mediator when their toys are “fighting,” know that they just want to learn how to handle that particular situation from someone they love and trust. And when they come and tell you their toy is “sad” or “angry,” LISTEN UP. 👂 Their toy is really them, and they’ll use that toy to say all the things they’re afraid to own up to.

Today my child played “pretend” with another child, and although I had to do some gentle coaxing to help ensure success, they had fun and I couldn’t stop smiling. This is WHY we do what we do. Keep doing it, you’re doing GREAT. 😉