Tuesday, 23 April 2024

The Imagination of a Small Child

The family I met with yesterday has two girls of school age and a small boy (he's about 2 1/2). The small boy was very happy to see me, to tell me that he plays basketball, and to show me how he can drive a train by straddling his dad's guitar case and making all the train noises. He drove that train all the way to the Philippines. 

Later, when I was in his sister's room as she told me what she had been doing in school, there was a small voice coming down the hall, saying over and over, "Penguin, penguin, penguin..." When I turned to look, the small boy was standing on a blanket, holding the front part up in front of his legs with the rest trailing behind. He was shuffling along like a happy little penguin. When he got to us, he smiled and said, "I'm a penguin!"

He loves the story of David and Goliath and, using his sister's headband as a sling, pretended to throw a stone at me. I fell backwards on the couch and stayed very still. The small boy laughed and then said, "Wake up, giant!" so he could get me again.

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