girl play

Have I mentioned that I am so grateful every day that Whitney and Katelyn have each other? Two years apart is so perfect. The last year has been full of constant imaginative play for them. All day. Every day. Yes they do fight, a lot. But sometimes they play so nicely for so long that I just have to stop and watch (or secretly listen) for a while.

They spend more time with each other then anyone else, so they are the biggest influence on each other too. It's interesting to think how they are shaping each other's personalities and views of the world. For the most part they are good for each other- they know how to annoy each other the best, so if they can work it out and get along with each other, I guess it will teach them how to get along with other people!

It makes me think of how much my siblings, especially Allison, must have shaped me. She's the one I played with the most, and I can see how, even though we are very different, I just understand her and the way she thinks. I didn't play with Katrina as much, or she says we would make her be the dog or something, (sorry!) but still I think you gain this basic commonality or understanding with someone by spending SO much time with them in your formative years. I'm so happy my girls will have that with each other.

ANYWAY, Katelyn and Whitney's pretend play usually falls into one of the following categories:

Brothers: In this game they assume the roles of their alter-egos, named John (Whitney) and Sam (Katelyn). They have all kinds of adventures and occasionally do more boyish things than they would in real life, like hunt.

Family: Katelyn's usually the mom, and Whitney's the son, named John (surprise, surprise) ( I sometimes wonder if it's healthy for Whitney to pretend to be a boy for a few hours a day??) and they have a baby sister too, which is usually played by Whitney's pig. The dad is normally at work, and sometimes I volunteer to be the dad and then I go to work (aka do whatever I was doing before). This game is usually true to real life, with eating and sleeping and the occasional tragedy or excitement.

John and Maddie: This game is about a boy and girl and usually spans a large portion of their life- they play John and Maddie as little kids meeting and being friends, being teenagers and "dating" ( this part is usually short because they don't know much about this phase obviously) and then getting married (they hold hands and turn around in circles singing "marry, marry" and then hug and they're "married") and having kids. I'm sure you can guess who plays John and who plays Maddie. Oh and their last name is Benson for some reason. Sometimes in this game they also play church or school.

Friends: occasionally they play friends and they are both girls, named Mitten and Maddie for some reason. Obviously they never play sisters! Because that wouldn't be playing!

Sometimes they play versions of these games with dolls, barbies, cars, trains, or stuffed animals. I have also seen variations that involve pirates or other bad guys, princes and princesses, forts, boats, or playing in water(or snow).

They love any kind of art, and puzzles and games, but those usually involve me and they are them selves, not any of their alter-egos.

I love my funny, sweet little girls. I can't wait to see how our new baby will fit into the mix. I guess I still have a couple of years until the child will be able to participate in any of their games! And it will be fun to see Whitney get to be the big sister when Katelyn's at school, because right now Katelyn's definitely in charge!

And those are my thoughts today on playtime, as I sit here feeling sick and so glad they are playing happily with out any help from me. Probably I just jinxed it by writing that and I'll be breaking up a fight in 30 seconds. :)