I think Willow made a friend today at the YMCA's Y-Play, which is a free day care available to Y members.
Willow is 18 months old, so it comes as no surprise to the kind ladies at Y-Play that she has a hard time parting with me nowadays. When we started at the Y, Willow ran from my arms to go play in this new and magical place of toys-aplenty.
Not anymore. She holds on to me tighter than Krazy Glue to beams in those 1980s commercials, and she undams rivers of tears. I always return an hour or so later and struggle to get her to leave the place; the Y ladies say she forgets about me within seconds of my leaving to go work out.
When I returned today to drag her from her fun, she was playing with a blond-headed girl about her age and size at the play kitchen, which is Willow's favorite spot. Willow had a toy cash register, and she was repeatedly ringing up the purchase of a tiny purple pony for her playmate. In and out of the register drawer the pony went. Ka-ching! The playmate watched in awe.
As I started my pleas to Willow to get her jacket on and go home, one of the Y ladies told me Willow had been expanding her play to include other children, which is a pretty big step for a toddler (generally, I'm told, toddlers like playing in the presence of other kids, but not so much WITH them; I'm also told toddlers aren't capable of understanding sharing, so they don't share; I don't know if any of this is true, but I don't make much of a deal of Willow's play etiquette).
I told the Y lady I was happy Willow had made a friend.
"Oh, yeah, they're big buddies," she replied.
But I knew something sinister was going on. You see, I don't think Willow is above having a motive at her tender toddler age.
We've been weaning Willow from the pacifier for a month or so now, and we've gotten her down to Paci at bedtime. She doesn't get Paci at all during the day anymore. She's done really well, actually, and I think she'd give up the bedtime Paci without too much of a fight.
But if she had a Paci within reach, she'd snatch it, lickety-split.
So you've probably guessed at Willow's motive for making a friend at the Y: Her new playmate had Paci, sweet, glorious Paci, in mouth.
If I hadn't come along, or if Willow had just five more minutes to work her magic on this unsuspecting new friend, I think Willow thinks she would have had suckered that Paci into her mouth.
Willow is 18 months old, so it comes as no surprise to the kind ladies at Y-Play that she has a hard time parting with me nowadays. When we started at the Y, Willow ran from my arms to go play in this new and magical place of toys-aplenty.
Not anymore. She holds on to me tighter than Krazy Glue to beams in those 1980s commercials, and she undams rivers of tears. I always return an hour or so later and struggle to get her to leave the place; the Y ladies say she forgets about me within seconds of my leaving to go work out.
When I returned today to drag her from her fun, she was playing with a blond-headed girl about her age and size at the play kitchen, which is Willow's favorite spot. Willow had a toy cash register, and she was repeatedly ringing up the purchase of a tiny purple pony for her playmate. In and out of the register drawer the pony went. Ka-ching! The playmate watched in awe.
As I started my pleas to Willow to get her jacket on and go home, one of the Y ladies told me Willow had been expanding her play to include other children, which is a pretty big step for a toddler (generally, I'm told, toddlers like playing in the presence of other kids, but not so much WITH them; I'm also told toddlers aren't capable of understanding sharing, so they don't share; I don't know if any of this is true, but I don't make much of a deal of Willow's play etiquette).
I told the Y lady I was happy Willow had made a friend.
"Oh, yeah, they're big buddies," she replied.
But I knew something sinister was going on. You see, I don't think Willow is above having a motive at her tender toddler age.
We've been weaning Willow from the pacifier for a month or so now, and we've gotten her down to Paci at bedtime. She doesn't get Paci at all during the day anymore. She's done really well, actually, and I think she'd give up the bedtime Paci without too much of a fight.
But if she had a Paci within reach, she'd snatch it, lickety-split.
So you've probably guessed at Willow's motive for making a friend at the Y: Her new playmate had Paci, sweet, glorious Paci, in mouth.
If I hadn't come along, or if Willow had just five more minutes to work her magic on this unsuspecting new friend, I think Willow thinks she would have had suckered that Paci into her mouth.
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