Dirty Imagination!

Dirty Imagination!
(October 2009)

I have learned this week that my son has a dirty imagination. Now I know what you are thinking and it isn't what you think! Jacob being an only child (until recently) to a stay at home mom. Has always had a playmate to play with. If it isn't me it's his father, and if it isn't him then it is any number of cousins that live within feet of our house. But for the past couple of weeks Jacob has really started "growing up" and started to use his imagination. I was told by a lot of people that this would inevitably happen since I wouldn't be at his beck and call anymore with having to take care of Andrew.

I have to admit that it is nice to see Jacob playing with his toys by himself and seeing him playing with them in a way that you can tell he is creating a "scene" or "world" for these toys to live in. But it seems that the only way he plays for any length of time is if he is getting dirty! I guess that is the boy in him.

The other day Paul was outside and Jacob was with him keeping himself busy when all of a sudden Paul comes inside with a grin on his face asking me if I wanted to see what Jacob had been doing to keep himself busy........

You see it seems that Jacob being the observant one that he is saw Paul and I trimming the flowers and shrubs back the other day and thought that he too could help us out! Needless to say only a few flowers managed to live through the massacre!

Then the other day I was home alone with a very cranky 8 week old and needed something for Jacob to do by himself to allow me time to deal with Andrew.....I knew from a few months ago that Jacob loved this concoction of corn starch and water that I created for him. I played with it as a kid and I have never met a child yet who doesn't love to play with it. If you haven't ever made it you should.....basically you add just enough water to make a box of cornstarch get just wet. You know when it is just right when it looks like liquid when left alone but becomes solid when you try and stir it or pick it up! Jacob just loved to put his toy people and animals in it and watch them sink into the mixture and then try and pull them out! It is a pretty neat and extremely cheap play thing for a 2 year old! So on the day in question he sat at the table and played by himself with this cornstarch mixture for an HOUR AND A HALF!!! It was awesome! He was laughing and carrying on it was great.....but DIRTY!!!!!