As I was passed my daughter holding her wet miniature dinosaurs, she was excited to show me how they have grown, once she soaked them in water. The practical me saw no growth and was quick to point out that they had not grown. Then she told me that they were the Jurassic World Hatching Dinosaur Egg Growing Pets and that they had grown after she put them in the water for sometime. It was one of the many YouTube videos where kids get to play with limitless number of toys. It was probably one like this.
The provider in me was already thinking about getting them for her. But in doing so, I overlooked one fundamental thing, I did not listen to what my daughter was saying. She was not asking for one, she was imagining that she already had them and was enjoying them. I don’t quite know what she understands and what she does not. But, as I sat in front of my computer trying to work, this feeling of not actually not understanding what she wanted ached my heart a little. She was saying that she didn’t really care for those toys as long as I played with her and that I participated in her pretend plays.
Kids are natural leaders, explorers, and innovators. When she is in the stores surrounded with many a toys, of course she gets tempted but it should have been satisfying to know that she was not tempted to buy every other toy she sees on the numerous videos accessible to her, perhaps many parents like me wish they could afford all the toys in the world. More important is for us to be there with them, being actively engaged and fueling their imagination and their problem solving skills. Had I shown my excitement in her now grown dinosaurs, I know that we would have had a story that we would have told and laughter shared.
I will keep an eye out for one of those eureka moments.
I will share a few more life lessons that being a mother has taught me.
