Ever Play "Essential Personnel" Games?

It's on like Donkey Kong! <— something we said religiously in the 90s. Ben and I keep saying we want to buy a Super Nintendo so we can play Donkey Kong again! Coming from people who aren’t really gamers, that tells you it was a really good game! We also both liked the classics: Duck Hunt, any of the Super Mario line, Street Fighter, NBA Jams, etc.

Despite having playing some video games in our childhood, Ben and I both spent a majority of it outside. That means lots of imaginative play, which research has shown is incredibly beneficial to a child’s development. Plus, we would drive our parents nuts if we stayed inside all day. I will have to ask Ben what imaginary games he played as a kid with his siblings, but I vividly remember playing “Lava” with my sister A LOT. In my opinion you haven’t LIVED if you haven’t played “hot lava” before. You’re never too old to start either! Now that I think about it, it was kind of a precursor to the parkour craze of the early 2000s.

I also remember using our backyard playset as an exclusive club and castle. My sister and I created a sign that said, “No boys allowed and no little girls allowed either.” This was to specifically forbid our stepbrothers and stepsister from coming onto our property. 😂 Their mother got really pissed off at us and chewed us out. #tattletale #gumsmackinthewholetime

The basis of imaginative play is…you use what you got and how you feel. When you’re stuck at home during a global virus crisis, what is a kid to do? Well, if you ask Waylin, she will tell you that she wants to play “Essential Personnel” games! 😂 Can you believe it? She’s 2.5 years old and wants to imitate the jobs that are on the front lines of the Coronavirus. 🤯 Wow!

FIREFIGHTER

This is a big favorite of hers and I’m not sure where she developed a love for firefighting (a love for firefighters may come later in life…when she’s 40 and allowed to date👨‍🚒🔥🚒.) About 6 months ago, I picked Waylin up from daycare to be told that she got hurt from another kid. I asked what happened without turning into Mama Bear 🐻 on them. They told me that another kid took away the firetruck that she was playing with and then hit her with it on her head and then he scratched her face. MAMA BEAR RAGE ENGAGED! I mean, there was nothing I can really do since it already happened, but I sure do check in with Waylin ever since then to find out if that kid has done it again or hurt her in any other way.

When we got home that night, I asked her questions about the firetruck incident. I asked her if she knew who hit her because the daycare wasn’t naming names. She told me “yes” and proceeded to tell me the name. I was shocked and surprised when she told me that “Ben” did it! I know there’s a kid in her class named Ben, but it’s just kinda oddly “funny” that that is also her dad’s name. For WEEKS (maybe even months) she will tell people that “Ben hit my head firetruck” and pretend to cry. We have to explain it’s a little brat and not her own dad.

Anyways, we went outside to play chalk and she asked me to draw a firetruck. I need to google some chalk drawing skills because I am very, very limited. I did the best I can. Waylin hopped into action and started telling me there was a fire! 🔥 So, I drew a fire (again, I am not an artist). She wielded her piece of chalk like a hose and started putting out the fire!

She attributes donuts as a reward for firefighting and I think that’s perfect!

DOCTOR

When Ben was growing up, he had this little Fisher Price Doctor bag that he played with all the time. Of course, Waylin gets to play with the same bag because MIL kept everything in pristine condition. She brought it over to our house on an essential trip out of the house. Along with it, she brought two masks for me and her to use. As of May 1st, the governor has declared it is mandatory to wear a mask in public, so it’s something that will be a reality for Waylin to see.

It’s sad and cute at the same time.

We do a lot of roleplaying when it comes to being a doctor. Waylin liked to say “Doctor’s here!” very proudly and I am her ever so trusting patient every time. I decided we would draw some sick patients with chalk and see what kind of treatment she could give them for their problems.

She asked me to draw a hospital, which she calls a “hop tall” 😍 I drew several hospitals with beds for “sick dan lions” (sick dandelions). She wanted me to draw a BIG ONE, so I did. She laid down in the middle of it and and told me she hurt her back and then proceeded to tell me she was dead. Where do they come up with this stuff? 🤣

POLICE OFFICER

And no childhood is complete without a “friendly-ish” game of cops and robbers. So, this game started out when we were going for a walk after dinner. The last two summers, we tried to do family walks after dinner because it is supposedly good for your digestion. We’re not quite into summer yet, but some of these Spring nights have been nice enough to stay outside.

When we were doing our usual loop down the road, Waylin was being playful and she threw her hands out into the air like she was casting a spell and yelled “jail” at me. 🚓 I decided to freeze and say “oh no! I’m stuck in jail! Let me out!” and she would walk away a little bit, but then turn around and let me out. She “jailed” mama and daddy over and over. Our walk took 234 more hours than usual to get home! 😃

So, this driveway chalk game took some explaining, but she caught on pretty fast. See that lawnmower? I was the “bad guy” that would casually walk around and steal lawnmowers around town (aka the edge of our driveway). She would flip her sirens on: “Whoo Whee Whoo Whee Whoo Whee!” and chase me until I was caught. 🚨 She would then “jail me” and take my hands behind my back and lead me to my destination.

At one point, she kept me in jail longer than the 30 second stints I had previously been doing, so I told her I was hungry. She told me I could have some donuts, so we drew some in the jail cell. 🍩

This week has been a huge development milestone for her because as you can see, she’s been doing so much pretend play. She has practiced imaginative play with her baby dolls inside many times, but I feel like her role playing has been much stronger lately! I join in and sit out regularly so she can develop her own story lines and plots.

I need to buy more chalk! 🥰