How We Play
To say that Sophie is driven by dramatic play might be the understatement of the decade. She lives, breathes, and eats dramatic play. Dolls, stuffed animals, even forks and spoons have voices. We have been assuming roles in her scripts for two years. She’ll inhabit a character for days, even weeks, working out the same story over and over again. SHe can easily switch roles within her own stories, and expects us to do the same, which is simply maddening at times. This week she has been Cinderella and we’ve been reenacting the scene where she runs away, flicking her ballet shoe, leaving me, the Prince, to come chase after her and see if it fits. Wash, rinse, repeat. SO much of our converstion starts with, “In this story . . .”
I suppose Cinderella’s an improvement over the past month’s array of animal roles, which were like conversing with a real dog or cat. Not terribly stimulating for us. For her, it is her life, and her learning, which is why I treasure it. For the longest time we didn’t need any kind of props, and really we still don’t, but Sophie’s recent interest in ballet prompted her to ask for a “real ballet dress and shoes.” Since then we’ve started dressing up on a regular basis, which thrills Rosy to the core, as she loves nothing more than to raid a pile of laundry and see how much she get over her head.
Today Sophie was looking in the mirror and said she was talking to her imaginary friend. She couldn’t tell me her name, just that she was “really tall.” I have been long awaiting the arrival of an imaginary friend. I’m so glad she’s here.
Imagination really is everything.
