Approximately 87% of Scotlen’s conversations these days begin with “pretend that.” Pretend that we’re dogs. Pretend that we’re on a train. Pretend that there’s a T-Rex chasing us. And it’s wonderful that she has such an active imagination. If you want her to be deliriously happy, voluntarily start a “pretend that” conversation.
But there’s a slight catch. And it’s this. Scotlen apparently feels that the pretending is best when it comes from her imagination alone. Maybe Kyle and I are a little bit out of practice in the pretending realm, but we’re not completely devoid of interesting material. Here’s how it generally goes:
Scotlen: Let’s pretend we’re dogs.
Parent: Ok, I’m a big slobbery yellow dog.
Scotlen: No, you’re a black dog. And you say, “hey let’s go chase some cats.”
Parent: Ok, let’s go chase some cats. Hey, do you see that dog house over there, I wonder who lives there.
Scotlen: No, there’s no dog house. Now you say, “it’s time for a doggie nap.”
Parent: Sigh. Ok, it’s time for a doggie nap. Afterwards, let’s have a doggie snack.
Scotlen: No, no snack. Now you say “time to wake up and play, little puppy.”
Grrrr. Pretend that Mama and Daddy want to claw their eyes out. Never has our creative spirit been squelched this way. But it has been interesting to find out how puppets feel. Or citizens of harsh dictatorships.
Luckily for Jonas, he’s not quite old enough to be subject to Scotlen’s harsh regime. Most of their play centers around making the house into an obstacle course and/or a race track. Or dancing. They love to twist themselves up and then unwind in a spinning circle and fall down. Jonas is so committed to the wind up that he usually ends of falling down from that effort alone. Jonas has also turned from the boy who would not speak into the boy who wants to learn. He has learned all his letters (upper and lower case), the sounds they make, the order they go in, how to spell his name, and how to count from 1-20. The amazing part is not that he has learned all of this stuff, but it’s that he’s learned it because he is actually interested in it. Reading and learning are currently his favorite activities. And I say currently because I know this can change in a heartbeat, and tomorrow he could be interested only in picking his own nose.
But there’s a slight catch. And it’s this. Scotlen apparently feels that the pretending is best when it comes from her imagination alone. Maybe Kyle and I are a little bit out of practice in the pretending realm, but we’re not completely devoid of interesting material. Here’s how it generally goes:
Scotlen: Let’s pretend we’re dogs.
Parent: Ok, I’m a big slobbery yellow dog.
Scotlen: No, you’re a black dog. And you say, “hey let’s go chase some cats.”
Parent: Ok, let’s go chase some cats. Hey, do you see that dog house over there, I wonder who lives there.
Scotlen: No, there’s no dog house. Now you say, “it’s time for a doggie nap.”
Parent: Sigh. Ok, it’s time for a doggie nap. Afterwards, let’s have a doggie snack.
Scotlen: No, no snack. Now you say “time to wake up and play, little puppy.”
Grrrr. Pretend that Mama and Daddy want to claw their eyes out. Never has our creative spirit been squelched this way. But it has been interesting to find out how puppets feel. Or citizens of harsh dictatorships.
Luckily for Jonas, he’s not quite old enough to be subject to Scotlen’s harsh regime. Most of their play centers around making the house into an obstacle course and/or a race track. Or dancing. They love to twist themselves up and then unwind in a spinning circle and fall down. Jonas is so committed to the wind up that he usually ends of falling down from that effort alone. Jonas has also turned from the boy who would not speak into the boy who wants to learn. He has learned all his letters (upper and lower case), the sounds they make, the order they go in, how to spell his name, and how to count from 1-20. The amazing part is not that he has learned all of this stuff, but it’s that he’s learned it because he is actually interested in it. Reading and learning are currently his favorite activities. And I say currently because I know this can change in a heartbeat, and tomorrow he could be interested only in picking his own nose.
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