#38 First Time Ever!

I had the privilege last night of introducing our great grandson to the magic of Play-Doh. It was a pretty amazing experience.

First we set ground rules: Play-Doh only comes out of the can here at the island. Not in the living room. Not anywhere else. Only here. If we drop any, we must quickly pick it up. If the dog eats it, she will be very sick.

He understood.

He played with one chunk of the stuff for an hour and 15 minutes. Uninterrupted. He squished it. He squeezed. Often he inhaled the heady smell. He was so happy! He sang. He worked. Most of all, he enjoyed.

I wish I had taken a pic but I did not want to break the magical spell it had on him.

I sat nearby reading the WSJ just in case he needed me. I did show him how to make a snake and how to make a ball -- two vital skills in Play Doh sculpture. At first these skills eluded him, but he persisted and by the end of the hour plus, he was casually rolling out balls like he'd been doing it all his life.

After the first hour had passed, I had finished the paper and got involved, myself. We worked together to build whatever he requested: Papaw; a train; a dinosaur.

He shocked me with his math skills. "Ok, I'm making Papaw's boots. How many boots does Papaw have?" "TWO!"

On the dinosaur I placed two front legs and he grew anxious, pointing to the rear, saying we needed two more. I was amazed.

Years ago an educator friend told me we always underestimate our children.

She was right.

#LoveMyLife