Let's Pretend...

Today I managed something I’m not typically very good at. It’s called “let’s pretend” play. I used to feel kind of bad about my inability to play this game with my kids, but after numerous conversations with some of my mom friends, I’ve decided that I’m not unique in my failure. Let’s pretend is a really hard game to play. It requires skills that we apparently lose as we grow older.

The problem generally seems to be two-fold. I either don’t GET the game, or my momma imagination takes me in directions that my kids just don’t seem to comprehend.

“Why can’t I be a butterfly?” I might ask.

“Because there are no butterflies in this game,” they might inform me.

“But you said I could be anything! I want to be a butterfly!”

“But butterflies don’t talk and their wings are too fragile and they’d never survive the fighter fairies. You can’t be a butterfly, Mom.”

So I usually muddle along, unsure if I’m playing my role correctly or just plain frustrated that I can’t seem to get in sync with the game. I retreat. I suggest that all of my pretend has run out, and then I excuse myself to do something practical like cleaning the kitchen floor or scrubbing a toilet.

Today, however, I played “let’s pretend,” and I had fun and, best of all, my son thinks I walk on water because I played the game so well. We went swimming at the Y and there was an alligator in the pool. Really! A big, green alligator!

My son said, “Hey, let’s pretend that this is OUR alligator and we are going to ride him out to sea and…”

So I grabbed onto the tail while he rode on the alligator’s back and our adventure had begun. The alligator took us here and there and occasionally we’d have to get off to feed it. I still slipped up. Sometimes I would stick a hand, or my son’s head, in the alligator’s mouth and I’d get a long lecture on just how dangerous those alligator teeth could be. We caught fish, which I tried to throw directly to the alligator, not realizing that we were supposed to be collecting the fish in a bag so that we could feed the alligator later.

I was forgiven, however. My son was very patient with me and, because he liked the way my fishes flopped around when I caught them, I had a little leeway when my pretending went astray.

The best part was when we started collecting things - seashells as big as my head and star fish as colorful as rainbows. Then I found a treasure that was shaped EXACTLY like my son’s foot and he had to stop again and lecture me.

“Mom! That’s my FOOT! You’re supposed to be looking for seashells.”

So I wasn’t perfect, but I did pretend.

Later I made my way to the hot tub while Dad stayed and played the game with the alligator-feeding boy. As we left the pool, my son asked me a question which I answered in my best “let’s pretend” game face.

I heard hubby, who was following along behind us, say, “Wow. Mom really IS better at this game than I am.”

My son agreed whole-heartedly…. and I beamed, and tucked a little foot-shaped shell away in my box of momma memories.