Incredible!

The Incredibles have invaded our home. For the past three days Violet, Dash, Jack Jack, Mom and Dad (who I am supposed to call Bob) have lived here. Big Brother (who I will now refer to as Dash) has played almost non-stop since Friday. I'm not sure what I'm going to do if I hear "No we're playing the Incredibles, remember? I'm Dash!" one more time! It's pretty amazing that the same little one who cannot remember to put his clothes in the laundry or let the kitty go when she cries has not even once forgotten that he is playing this game. Violet (Sister Bear) has even started calling him Dash, although I'm not really sure she knows why! The preschool mind and imagination are a pretty incredible thing, aren't they? If only we all could enter another reality as easily. It sure would make life a little more exciting. The baby wouldn't be crying just because he wants held, No! He would be needing rescue from some evil menace and YOU are responsible to save him! I keep hearing Dash telling Violet that they must save mom. They race all over the house until they find me (which in this big, new house can take a minute or two) and then proceed to save me from whatever has trapped me - most often some chore or something that I would really like rescue from. There are moments that I almost wish I could join the game with the same abandon my 3 year old has found! But, alas, I gain only glimpses of the pretend world nowadays - it seems my adult mind has lost it's ability to be lost in the fantasy. I can remember what it is like though....

When we were kids we would pretend we were lost on a desert island, or we were an Indian family who lived off the land and hunted food with bow and arrow. We started campfires in the backyard and cooked rhubarb soup. We drew roads on the sidewalk and road our bikes through our homemade city, complete with all the necessary stops - police, the gas station and a grocery store. We played house for hours on end with the neighbor boy. The land of pretend was our playground. It was an exciting place to be! I treasure my memories of pretend play. So, the Incredibles are welcome here, even when I am tired of them. They are my kids future memories, and though it is a difficult journey for me to make anymore, I want them to create and play and enjoy living in a place that is full of whatever adventures and opportunities they can imagine!