Fascinating workings of a two year old brain

I was much amused by child number two today. She decided at one point a little before lunch that it was time to play games. The little party girl loves games. Now two year olds don't play at cards or board games. Those aren't simple enough. But that doesn't mean that they don't play games at all. They just think outside the box compared to us adults. She has always been a big fan of "Peek a Boo," which she refers to as "Boo Boo game." Hide and Seek has been a recent addition to her repetoire. She can also appreciate "Chase." Today she introduced me to some new games. In addition to "Tickle fight" (in which she chases her sister to tickle her) and "Feet fight" (in which the two of them kick at each other under the table during meals), she decided to play many new games today. There was "Dance game" (in which one lifts one's hands above one's head and twirls while on tippy toes). Next came "Hopping game" (in which one jumps around. In one variation the player says "Ribbet!"). My particular favorite today was the "Cat in the Hat game" (in which the player turns until dizzy and falls down while saying "All the things fall." Maybe it's a variation on "Ring around the Rosie.") Later this evening she was in a gaming mood again and played the "Potty time game" (in which she turned a bucket of Mr. Potato Head parts into a potty seat and pretended to sit on the potty. Then she stood up saying "I peed" and then clapped, yelled "Yea!!," and then did a little happy dance.

I think you could call anything a game and that girl would find a way to have fun with it. She is definitely a party girl.

Maybe we adults are too serious about the things in our lives. I have more fun doing things my daughters way and enjoying the moments of the day more. Maybe the dishes would be more fun if I played the "wash the dishes game." Then there's the "feed the baby game" or the "sweep the floor game." I would still be doing the same things, but they could be fun because they are a game. It is all attitude you see. I distinctly remember the first time my Mom let me wash the dishes. I was not much older than child number one. I had to stand on a chair to wash them at the sink. I got the kitchen a gloriously wet mess and I think it took me about two hours, but I loved it and would beg her to let me do it again. I don't remember exactly when I stopped thinking of it as a game, but I know that was when the joy of it left me and it became one of my chores.