Ahh…..boys. They love to run and play and get dirty. The world is full of mud pies and sandboxes and grass stains just waiting to meet them. I love watching little boys play. My girl is rough and tumble, and she has always preferred the “boy” games and opposed to the more “girly” activities, but there is a different kind of play that goes on between just boys.
Seth is slowly being inducted in to this Big Boy Universe of Play. I watch him as he takes in every move of the older boys he watches in play groups and public areas. He is new to the world of army men and superheroes and zombie chase. I sort of am, too. So together we are venturing into this new world.
We were at the park the other morning. My guy and I were meeting up with another mom and her baby daughter for some play like we do several times a week. On this day, there were 2 older boys (around 4 or 5 years of age) there with their moms. While their mothers chatted, the two boys entertained themselves by running through the mazes of the playscape shouting and shooting their little toy guns at imaginary pirates after their booty.
It was magical sitting and listening to the sounds of their imaginations running like wild as they yelled to one another and took out the bad guys. Seth stopped his play and wondered over to sit and watch the show.
Pow-Pow!!! The boys called out as they raised their guns and took aim. One little guy even gave an Oscar performance as he faked being shot in the leg. No worries. He recovered quickly by simply spraying on some “instant power juice” he had in his pocket.
Pow-Pow!!! They called out over and over as they ran and jumped from ledge to slide. Pow-Pow!!
Seth climbed up on the bench next to me and continued his constant gaze on the boys. The only thing missing was a big bag of popcorn.
I know lots of parents take issue with this kind of play. Some say guns and weapons teach too much violence. They recently passed a law here in OK that allows a person to carry a weapon pretty much anywhere. Folks are certainly exercising that right, and now no matter where we go, we see folks flying their freedom flag and packing heat. I’m not big on guns, but these two little guys were not out to promote gang violence or practice drive-bys. .
They were just two little boys playing pirates. And it was sweet.
Later that day when we arrived home, I carried Seth into the house and washed his hands in preparation for lunch. He wriggled out of my grip and took off running to the art room on a mission. I called for him a few times, and then just as I was making my way around the corner to see what trouble he was getting into, he came waddling out of the art room with a cord dragging behind him.
Pow-Pow!!!, he shouted as he aimed the hot glue gun he held in his hand at the light above me.
It is true, we don’t have any play guns in our house. In fact, I think the show in the park was the first time he had ever seen a gun of any kind.
You have to hand it to the boy for using his imagination. He probably thought about that the whole drive home. What do I have around the house that can go Pow-Pow???
He won’t get far in the game of Cowboys and Indians with that weapon, but I have faith that he will be one serious crafter!
Maybe there is toy gun in his future. Maybe not. I will cross that bridge later. For now, he is content with his hot glue gun.
Watch out Martha Stewart! We are coming for you! Pow-Pow!
No comments:
Post a Comment