Children's Play

Every now and then, my second son would go at lengths to create an imaginary world. Together with his younger sister, they would spend several days planning an event which they would get the rest of the family to participate in. Last week, it was a dinner at a "fancy restaurant which is cheap and good".  My son prepared an extensive menu, from appetizers to mains to desserts and drinks, based on what he would normally eat when we go out for weekend family meals. The ingredients, mostly plastic, were organised on their beds. He invented a form of Teppanyaki where the chef throws the cut food into the guests' mouths. The bill was exorbitant and the door was kept locked until I paid the bill.

And several weeks back they organised a concert. He planned out the programme over a few days, occasionally asking me how to spell random words. When it was completed the programme was blu-tacked to his room wall and he regularly reminded all of us to set aside time for it. He used clothe tags which he collected from our previous purchases as concert tickets. Torchlights and toys with light displays were used for a light show in the dark. There were various music genres - a imaginary flute for a classical tune and a sport cap worn backwards for hip-hop. They were both well coordinated, knowing what to do and what to use as they moved from one part of the programme to another.

Yesterday, he started an in-house postal service. I was barely awake when he came into the room with individual plastic sleeves taken from his clear-folder and a permanent marker. He wrote the names of each family member on the individual sleeves and blu-tacked them to each bedroom. There was also one for the living room labelled the "Post". He asked all of us to write letters to each other and drop it at the "Post" so that it gets delivered to the intended recipients. The master bedroom is "Money Road", my eldest son's room is "Strong Road" and the room which he shares with his sister is called "Bully Free Road". He told me that we were using our mobile phones too often and that we should be sending each other letters instead. What wisdom. So this morning before we left for church, I wrote a very short letter to each member of the family. My daughter dressed up as the "postgirl", a ladybug bag pack and a Disney Princesses metal box, to collect the letters for delivery. 

They surprise me with their ideas and how they re-interprete the use of every day things in the imaginary world. They bring to life what is in their heads through detailed preparation and practice. Through their eyes everything is possible and nothing is a limitation. They inject humour and pearls of wisdom that speak to grown-ups who sometimes over-complicate life. 

God often uses my children to remind me that there is a better way and a greater purpose in life. It was apt that I wrote each of them a short thank you letter today.