Imagination

One thing that I've always hoped that my children would have is a lively imagination. Growing up as a little girl I loved making mud pies and serving them on the seats of the swings, or pretending the wagon wheel on the see-saw was a horse - perhaps growing up in the middle of no where is perfect grounds for making up things to do. I've always worried that with all the brightly colored toys that make more noise than anyone other than the child can possibly stand actually prohibit children from using the imaginative side of their brain, and thus could do more harm than good. Whatever happened to self-entertaining children? And so having little cash to purchase these fancy toys can actually be a blessing because it has resulted in the necessity of using what you have to foster the lost art of the imagination.

Yesterday I really noticed this for one of the first times in Julia and it nearly brought a tear to my eye. I was busy trying to get something made for dinner and she wanted to play with the cans of food on the kitchen counter so I placed them on the floor for her. She'd pick up a can, look at it, talk about it in her jibber jabber, and then place it on the floor next to her. After she'd described each can in this manner she got up and carried each can of food into the living room and placed them on the window sill, all lined up in a row, leaving one empty spot where she successfully set her doll, on her head, right in line with the cans. After she mastered this she took her doll and pretended to "feed" her from the can of kidney beans, making the noises of slurps and sticking her tongue out and in during the process. It was the cutest thing ever. Who needs video iPods or Baby Einstein anyway?? The pretend world is so much more fascinating and captivating. I'm sure Julia enjoys going to friends and playing with all their toys, but I'll never regret not being able to 1) afford them, and 2) having to store them.