Playing House

Every once in a while, I'm surprised by things my 4- and 5-year-old sons lack experience in. Like playing house. I know most kids do it, but I'm pretty sure it's not something we as parents are supposed to teach them how to do... They just do it. But Ezra and Asa don't play "house." They play "guys," and they play baseball, and they like to work for money, but they never play house.

These pictures were taken a year ago.

Yesterday, their friends Oak (5) and Meadow (4) were over to play. Meadow--the only girl of the bunch--usually doesn't get to play what she wants to play. But yesterday, she was promised that everyone would play what she wanted to play. When it came time for her promise to be fulfilled, Ezra and Oak were in the middle of a game of checkers, while Asa impatiently stood by waiting for his turn.

Amy announced that Meadow was in charge for a while, and Meadow declared they would all play house. Ezra and Asa looked at her incredulously. Aren't we--in a sense--playing house by merely being here and playing games together? I don't know exactly what words were exchanged, because I wasn't there. I'm sure they weren't that intellectual about it, but the resolution they came up with reveals they were on that track...

Meadow explained that, No, they had to pretend they were moms and dads and stuff like that.

So Ezra said, "OK. I'm the dad and I have to go to work... My job is playing checkers with my son... Oak is my son."

This did not satisfy Meadow or Asa who was still being left out. He wanted to play baseball. So Amy saved the day by recommending that they are a family and Meadow is the mom and they are going out for a picnic and the guys are going to play baseball while the mom sits on a blanket with the baby and watches...

And they were all happy playing house.

Asa and Meadow right around the time Marlow was born.