I’m watching my kids play with Daisy’s “My Little Pony” Ferris wheel, roller coaster, and ice cream parlor. The whole thing is called Ponyville. I don’t know if you have ever really listened to children play. I’ve noticed that Daisy is at the age where she likes to be in charge. The dialogue of her play has gone something like this: “Now I’m going to sell tickets to the ferris wheel and you will say, ‘I want to buy one! I want to buy one!’ Then I will say, ‘Get in line over here!’” Linda Jo and Jonah have obliged her for over an hour, several times parroting back the phrases she has told them to say. I wish that real life worked the same way it does in Ponyville. Don’t you wish you could tell other people what to say? Picture your boss walking in and you saying, “Now you will say, ‘I want to give you a raise,’ and I will say, ‘It’s about time!’” Or, maybe you want other people to compliment you. Next time a member of the opposite sex takes a look at you, you should tell them to say something that will make you feel good. “Now you will say, ‘where have you been all my life?’ and I will say, ‘Ponyville.’” It’s really too bad we outgrow this phase where we get to control our environment. My Early Childhood Education units have taught me that Daisy will soon be moving past the phase where she tells others what to say. In fact, it seems to be happening less as she grows up and this makes me a little sad. I fear that Linda Jo may be speeding up Daisy’s development by injecting too much reality into her play. When one of the ponies fell off the ferris wheel, she acted upset and told Daisy that now the pony would probably sue the park. “Daisy, we need a pony lawyer!” Earlier this evening, Joe was chosen to be the prince of the Polly Pocket Cinderella play set. Daisy kept telling him what to say but he wasn’t a very cooperative prince and wouldn’t say what she wanted him to. While Cinderella danced with him, he was a rude little jerk with a painted plastic smile who kept saying things like, “I wonder who’s winning the football game?” When a friendly stuffed dog joined their play, he screamed like a girl, “Run! It’s going to eat us!” Later, when Daisy brought in a big rock to play with, the little prince jumped up and down very high, yelling, “I like this rock; it’s faster than the other rock!” Cinderella still had a composed smile on her face but a very exasperated voice when she said, “Rocks can’t move! Now be quiet! You are a prince who can’t talk.” This has been a great Christmas, filled with low points and high points… isn’t every fairy tale? It was a low when Daisy lost her reading glasses on a shopping trip and an even lower low when it was clear that someone had taken them…a high when I dropped my irritation and realized that at least we hadn’t lost Daisy. What a reality check! Glasses are replaceable but children are not…at least these three children are not. My 12 year old son has just taken an injured pony to the hospital in his Lego helicopter. My 15 year old daughter is filling out an accident report…and my 7 year old is in ponyville heaven. Now I will say “happy new year” and you will sign my guestbook. |
