Pretend

The kid's imagination has kicked in recently, and of course I couldn't be happier. It started one random day in North Carolina hiking in the woods, when he picked up a stick and all of a sudden it became an airplane once he declared it so and made it fly up and down, complete with advanced sound effects that I'm not sure can be transcribed intelligibly here.

But today I found him hiding in the back of the corner cupboard, squeezed behind the lazy-susan-type of shelves, and he called me over and told me to eat. (Power language--including all sorts of commands like "Eat!"--has also kicked in recently.) When I asked what we were eating, he said without hesitation, "Apple pie. And drinks." The apple pie was served on a plastic silver platter, the drinks in the blue and red plastic cups found on the top shelf.

Of course, I gobbled and guzzled. And that's when the smile widened and eyes twinkled.

And that moment is what I love most about kids at this stage and their pretend play, their imagination. When they offer invisible apple pie, they watch for a reaction, very clearly bluffing and knowing it. There's a pause, waiting for the unknown response. But when the adult all of a sudden accepts and gobbles it up, it's a delightful surprise, as if yes, there actually really is apple pie on that plastic silver platter, because Papa sees it too! And he's eating it! And it's delicious! So let's eat some more!