Preschoolers at the Park!

Posted by Jaicee

Today I took Naivie, Norah, and cousin Benjamin to the little park by the Elementary School here in Richmond.  It was great to let them spend their energy climbing and sliding and swinging!  It always makes me happy to see our kids having a good time.

(Stinky cell phone pictures, I know, just bear with me :)

It's also great to see them developing their social skills as they interact with other children on the playground.

For example, Ben (skinny little Ben) refused to open the gate to the preschool playground for a boy who is probably not older than Ben, but weighs twice as much--with a thick neck, thick arms, and a buzz cut.  Ben just stood there, peering through the chainlink at this boy who kept asking him to open the gate, and who would probably beat Ben up if he ever let the kid through.  I don't know if it was defiance or fear that kept him from opening the gate, but whatever it was, Ben was probably wise not to have.  Naivie later referred to that boy as "Not a very nice guy."

In the next picture, you'll see Naivie in a swing next to a boy who is about seven years old.  As I pushed the kids in their swings, I listened to the conversation between these two, noting the vast differences between their vocabulary and interests as a result of their age differences.  It went something like this:

Naivie: "Mommy, look at this guy over here!" (referring to the kid, as he took the swing next to her)
Kid: "My name is Mikey."
Naivie: "I just like to swing."
Mikey: "I'm going to swing higher than you!"
Naivie: "Well, I have my sister, Norah."
Mikey: "What's your name?"
Naivie: "I can swing so high!  Mommy, push me higher!"
Mikey: "How old are you?"
Naivie: "I'm three years old on my birthday cake!"
Mikey: "Do you know your pluses?"
Naivie: "I'm three, I said!"
Mikey: "Well I know my pluses: three plus three is six."
Naivie: "No, I'm not six, I'm three years old!" (holding up four fingers)
Mikey: "But my brother is nine, and he knows times.  I don't know times yet.  Do you like video games or toys?  I like video games better than toys."
Naivie: "I can't fly very well."
Mikey: "I have three favorite video games and I play them everyday.  Do you play video games?"
Naivie: "But I saw a butterfly that was on a flower, and then it just flied away.  But I can't fly very well."

Pretty soon he got bored of talking to a three-year-old and left.

Bwahahahaha!

It's fun to watch your kids grow, but I'm going to miss this innocent age.