One of the things we got Sam for Christmas was a dollhouse. It's not large, and it's not fancy.
In fact, it's basically a rancher with a toilet that sounds like it flushes but doesn't, a shower that sounds like it's running but isn't, a washer and dryer that spin as long as nothing's inside them, and a doorbell that ding-dongs.
Sam is infatuated with this thing. She wants to take it everywhere and show it to everyone. And she wants everybody to meet the "family" living there.
Sometimes, the dollhouse is inhabited by My Little Ponies. Sometimes, it's one ballerina Barbie. Once, it was lived in by a troll with green hair and a frog on a magnet. But most of the time, there's a Mommy doll, a Daddy doll, a little girl doll, a toddler girl doll -- and Superman.
Sam sees nothing unusual about this. When the Mommy doll goes to work, she kisses Daddy and the girls and Superman good-bye. When Mommy comes home from work, Daddy goes to work (my husband works day shift, and I work nights, so this is real life to her). And before he leaves, Daddy kisses Mommy and the girls and Superman good-bye.
As far as I know, there is no superhero living in our house. My husband, Damon, comes in very handy sometimes, but he can't fly. And I don't think he owns blue tights or a red cape.
But everything else about Sam's little pretend family is pretty much dead-on. The girls take naps in the bedroom, under their blankies. The mommy uses the potty, and the girls come in to talk to her while she's sitting there. If one of the girls gets a boo-boo, Mommy or Daddy (depending upon which doll's currently at work) kisses it, and she gets a pretend Band-Aid. They eat dinner together, the girls play "outside" and the pretend eggs always get put away in the little refrigerator.
So who's the Superman? If I find out, I'll let you know. In the meantime, I'm gonna see if Sam can get him to do some laundry now and then.
What types of pretending games do you play with your kids? When has their imagination surprised you?
