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There's a snappy little song on the
kids' channel; actually it's a commercial for PBS and it
goes something like this--'Oh, use your imagination, that's
what you've got to do, use your imagination that's just the
thing to doo-da-lee-doo doo. Even when it's raining, you
can make the sky blue-use your imagination, PBS kids and
you.
I absolutely love when this little
ditty of a jingle comes on. When it does I scurry for the
remote, turn the sound up and proceed to dance around the
play room.
I'm purposely aware that the children
all look at me as if I'm a couple of notes shy of a nursery
rhyme.
As a matter of fact it came on early
this morning , and at the first sounds the kids
automatically jumped up and down in joy shouting, "Kath,
your song's on!"
It's hard to know what sparks an
imagination, who can understand why the mind works the way
it does?
It is a miracle in God's awesome
creation that no two snowflakes are alike. That same
miracle applies to children and their imaginations.
What inspires some children to
cultivate a friendship with an imaginary playmate, or the
customary fantasy of playing the role of being mommy or
daddy?
I enjoy the make believe chatter served
up daily in the play room of my residence.
I keep telling myself that I need to
invest in a tape recorder to share these priceless
conversations with the 'real' moms and dads.
Playing house one afternoon, Kristen
and Katie were putting real life into action, playing it out
as it is seen through their eyes. Kristen (3) was playing
the mommy. Katie (2) being one year behind in seniority
was stuck being the baby.
Waa! Waa! Waa! Katie wailed, doing a
great job of pretending to be a baby. Kristen, the ever
doting mommy was doing her pretend best to console the
crying Katie.
Kristen's every sentence ended in
sweetie. "What is it sweetie?" she'd say, and "Okay sweetie,
mommy's coming."
Soon Katie grew tired of the colicky
crusade. She jumped up from her pretend crib (her napping
cot) and yelled--"I don't want to be the sweetie anymore, I
want to be the mommy!"
Ah, sweet Kate, her spitfire
personality brings much laughter to my day.
They soak up their surroundings and
sprinkle their world with the simple discoveries handed down
by way of parental influence.
You don't need a degree in psychology
to figure that out--just an interest in the imagination of
tiny tots who talk on make believe phones, imagine
themselves as sweeties, or mommies, and of course,
princesses of Disney fame.
They sit on thrones made of throw
pillows, clap with glee when a tent is magically created by
placing a bedspread over a table, and quite often their play
time shenanigans are a sample of how they perceive real
life.
There are a few things that I can never
say enough.
I never get tired of encouraging the
children by telling them practice makes perfect when they
are mastering a new skill, such as Kristen hopping on one
foot all across the room.
I also tell the older ones not
to bother crying if they are doing something they know is
wrong and get hurt in the process. (This works amazingly
well in deterring them from doing known no-no's)
And, last but not least, I love singing
the imagination song. I love to make them laugh.
It is a treat to witness a 2 year old
giggle and chortle because they can recognize goofy adult
humor gone childlike.
I will always lend an ear when little
tikes are talking their unique talk. The joy it brings is
just one of the many benefits of being an in home daycare
provider.
And then there are times when this
overgrown kid, at heart, will spontaneously jump off the
couch and sing a playful tune--Oh use your imagination,
that's what you've got to doo-da--lee-doo-doo....
Kathy Whirity <kathywhirity@yahoo.com
>
Bio
Kathy Whirity lives in Chicago where
she shares her life and love with her husband of 28 years,
bill, their two daughters, Jaime and Katie, and two
rambunctious retrievers, Holly and Hannah. Kathy is a
family life columnist for two area newspapers.
For more of Kathy's writings please
visit her web page:
KATHY WHIRITY'S MUSINGS FROM THE HEART
http://www.heartwarmers4u.com/members?kathyw |
