Noah, Jaws, Pretend Play...OH MY!

Sometimes, I think I'm a poopy mom.  I am terrible, horrible, no-good, and very bad at "pretend play."  Ah...you know the play of which I speak?  I'll explain.

Let's say your doting daughter approaches you with her two Barbie dolls, and with pretty, pleading eyes and a sweet, sweet voice, asks, "Would you like to be the Ariel Barbie, and I'll be the Belle Barbie?"  You shudder at the prospect because it involves talking in a high voice on Barbie's behalf,  and moving her legs around to mimic dance moves.  (With your feeble beat-boxing providing the music.)  You can't say no to your kid, so you brace yourself for "pretend" trips to the grocery store, "pretend" visits to the salon for pedicures and up-dos, and "pretend dinners" around "pretend tables" with those "too perky to be true" dollies.  UGH!  (Confession:  I don't love it.)

Essentially, "pretend play" is when you make inanimate objects... well... animate?

The other night, Lilly walked into our bedroom with her "Noah's Ark" toy (thank you, Fisher Price) tucked under her arm.  She climbed up on our bed and plopped down beside me.  When I saw her staring at me, I knew what was coming.  I admit, I broke out into a cold sweat.  I was like that Roy Scheider fella in Jaws.  I could see her question looming--a shark's dorsal fin cutting through the water, moving towards me.

Da-Dum.  Da-Dum.  Da-Dum Da-Dum Da-Dum.

"Will you play with me, Mom?  Please?," she asked.

AAAAAAAHHHHH!!!!!!!!!  I was caught!  I kept thinking, "I can't say no to her.  I can't say no.  I.  CANNOT.  SAY.  NO.  I can't, I can't, I can't!"

"Uh...sure Lil," I managed to say, brightly, "I'd love to!"

A toothy (hee hee...get it?...Jaws theme?) grin spread across her little face as she dumped the contents of the plastic ark onto my bedspread.  Animals went flying!

"Are we supposed to be the animals?," I asked.

"Yes," she responded, as she pushed her hair out of her eyes, "I'll take half and you take half."  We started picking out our animals, and before I knew it (and without prior discussion) we were assembling them in a circle.

  
The conversation went something like this:

Lilly, talking for her animals:  Does anyone know what's going on?  Why are we all just standing here?
Mama Leisha, talking for her animals:  I'm not sure.  See that guy?  Noah?  He asked us to meet him here.
Lilly:   Oh, right.  I think he wants us to get on his boat.
Mama Leisha:  Are we supposed to do that right now?
Lilly:  I don't think so.  I think we're supposed to wait for rain.
Mama Leisha:  Okay.  I hope we all fit in there.
Lilly:  What should we do while we wait? 
Mama Leisha:  Hmmm...  Not sure.  What do you think?
(Insert pause here.)
Lilly:  I know!  I've got it!  We could eat some steaks!

HILARIOUS!

You know, maybe I'm changing my mind about pretend play.  Maybe it's not so bad after all.  Tomorrow is a rendezvous with Strawberry Shortcake and Orange Blossom at Strawberry Shortcake's bakery.  Could be entertaining...

Da-Dum.  Da-Dum.  Da-Dum Da-Dum Da-Dum.  


   

Comments

  1. I LOVE it! Aliya has an imaginary turtle she likes to play hide and seek with. I HATE that game because as you can imagine I am the one who has to FIND the imaginary thing.

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  2. So dang cute! Kids are so very entertaining.

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  3. I totally understand where you're coming from! As much as I always want/ed to please my kids, 'pretend' play is BORING!!! I would try and divert and say ''hey, let's play a boardgame!'' I never want to disappoint because I think it's important to play with your kids, but come on, there's only so many times I can brush Barbies hair and what's with those tights clothes!!?? Yes I'm referring to you BRATZ Dolls, you're so skinny but still don't fit into your clothes! As adults we don't have imagination anymore...sad, but true :)

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  4. You are not the only one who is bad at it. And my son? He would ask over and over til I gave in. Like this:

    Aidan: Which car do you want to play with?
    me: I don't want to play right now, sweetie.
    Aidan: No, which CAR do you want to PLAY with?
    me: Aidan, I can't play right now, I'm busy.
    Aidan: No, WHICH car do you want to PLAY with?

    I mean, how can you turn him down after that? I loved buying him the toys, but I was lousy at playing with him. Now he's nearly 9 and will build LEGOs on his own all day every day.

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  5. I love it and think that eating steaks is totally what the animals should do while waiting for rain. I mean, who wouldn't want a steak?

    ~The Clumsy Coquette
    www.theclumsycoquette.com

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  6. Steak! HAHAHAHA!! That is AWESOME! You rock at play time.

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  7. The animal conversation was so funny-cute.
    It seems as if my kiddos only want me to play with them when I am the most tired. It's hard to play when you don't wanna!

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  8. as usual, this post made me snort-laugh! hahahahaha!
    as soon as you said, "da-dum"...i lost it! bc i can totally picture it.
    your conversation was adorable. and made me :)
    and steak, wow! lilly knows what's up!
    i'm lovin the giraffe and zebra, both sportin' a mowhawk! and what is that?...the little orange guy with his tush to the camera...the one with the mini afro and braided butt tail? what's that green thing on his booty? hahahahaha
    aliesha, you're awesome!
    it's funny, sometimes i think i am more a kid now, than i was when i was younger. i wasn't huge into barbies, except for wardrobe changes. now, i love playing kitchen and am pretty sure i could invent some pretty interesting barbie/ken conversations! lol
    thinking of you always!!!
    lots of love,
    waxy tacohead <3
    xoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxo

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  9. LOL funny! Love it and can relate soooo much!

    Thanks for stopping over at my Party in Paris on Fridays!

    Blessings, Renee
    Http://renee-joyjourney.com

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  10. SO cute! my daughter is not at the stage yet of playing pretend...but i think i have a glimpse of what to look forward to! I love your blog found you on a blog hop and am your newest follower! I hope you'll follow me back sometime!

    Julianne
    www.sewfantastic.blogspot.com

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  11. How adorable! I love it and I cannot say no either! LOL

    Thank you so much for linking up for our hop! I'm your newest follower! Would love if you would stop by when you get a chance! :) Hope you have an awesome weekend!

    Kim
    Chubby Cheeks Thinks

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  12. HAHAHAHAHA @ Tira! I would DIE if I had to play hide the imaginary turtle!!!!

    You know, Miss Leisha, you are def not alone in this! I S-T-I-N-K at the whole "make the dollies talk" thing. I seriously feel so stupid, and have no idea what to pretend we are saying.... It just makes no sense to me. And I do feel like such a crappo mom, when I don't play along. Luckily, I can distract my son with a truck or something. But, I fear when my daughter gets older that this will be my life.

    Best, i start practicing now!!!!

    Thanks for the hilarious post. LOL! I loved it!!!!

    Hope you have an awesome weekend!!!

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  13. Aleisha, this is TOO FUNNY!
    The animals want to eat steak? Um... were there any cows on board voting in on that situation?! LOL...

    It's so important to foster the imaginative play with children... good for you for leaping out of your comfort zone to do that. Yay you!

    I'm soooooooo far behind in reading your blog... but I do pop in here and there and your writings always make me smile BIG, and somehow love you even more.
    MUAH! :)

    ~ Your Favorite Canadian Maple Leaf Butt
    :P

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  14. I actually ADORE playing. Do you think Miss lLily would play with me?

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  15. Pretend play is definitely one of the more entertaining things that I love to watch, and do with, my son. Yesterday, we threw a birthday party for his helicopter at a hotel, and all his truck friends were there to celebrate. Thanks for stopping by Just Another Hat, following you back.

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