After yesterday's nursery school carnival antics, I figured that today would be pretty rough at school. Oversugared, overtired kids plus overworked, overexhausted parents and teachers couldn't make for a good day. I could tell when I showed up that it hadn't been a great one, though Dash seemed his usual self. We hung around for a little while after school, but, when we arrived home, Dash went to his room instead of to his usual bathtub routine.
"Dash?" I asked. "Do you want a bath?"
"No thanks, Mom," he replied, "I'm not that dirty." Oddly, he was right; he's pretty clean for a day in the wet sand at his school.
"Do you want a snack?" I asked.
"No thanks, Mom," he said again. "Actually, I just want to be by myself for a while."
I cleaned out my ears.
"You want some lonely time?" I asked (using his usual term for it).
"Yes, please," he asked. "Would you please close my door?"
I left. I listened at the door, because this surely couldn't be anything good. I heard sounds of play and went about my business for about five minutes, then I checked on him.
"Do you need anything, love?" I asked him.
"No thanks, Mom," he said for a third time. "It was a long day at school, and I just want to play alone."
I left. He played alone for about 45 minutes. When he emerged, he declared he wanted to make something with me. We studied the cupboard. We tied on his new apron from the carnival store. We mixed up some homemade play-doh (recipe to follow), and he's been playing with it, a chapati roller, and my Halloween cookie cutters ever since.
This day will live on in my memory for quite some time because:
1) After a rough day, he wanted to spend quiet time alone. Maybe he IS my child, after all.
2) He didn't just have a few minutes alone, and disaster didn't happen: he played alone and had fun (I listened in on some great matchbox, train, and building fun) for a long time.
3) When he felt better, he didn't ask for TV. He asked for me -- and, not only that, he asked to make something with me.
4) He meaningfully engaged in the play-doh making... and still is.
This is one of those days that you live for as a mom: the light at the end of the tunnel, the signs that they're figuring out how the world works. It's the reward for all of the poop and barf and crying, I think -- the fact that they actually become little people who don't just rely on Mom or the TV but can rely on themselves. What a great day -- and who knew that play-doh was so easy to make?!
Here's the recipe:
1 cup flour
½ cup salt
2 teaspoons cream of tartar
1 tablespoon vegetable oil
1 cup water
food coloring
Mix ingredients together in a saucepan and cook for two minutes until the mixture pulls away from the pan. Knead the dough until smooth. Store in a covered container.
P.S. My hands are bright red from kneading the play-doh... it's not wheat-allergy friendly. Next time, I'll wear gloves.
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