The other day, I was playing with D4–She has a little fisher price house that has long since lost all its accessories but for some reason has escaped several ‘discard toy’ sweeps. I don’t know where they came from but we found these little figures (they might be McDonald’s) that almost fit in the house. So I’m lying on my belly with my head on the ground so I can see into this little house. It has a little kitchen and gymnastics on the TV, a cake in the refrigerator… well I guess you know now how it escaped the sweeps.
She handed me a doll and said her name was Emily (Emily is also the name of her imaginary friend) and declared the other doll Claire. Poor Claire had seen better days. Somehow she’s lacking a nose because of an apparent unfortunate scraping accident and well, part of her shirt has been worn away too, revealing what would be her nipples if she was an x-rated doll. She’s not of course. We played for a little bit and D4 introduced two dogs. Barbie dogs. As tall at the shoulder as Claire and Emily. So my doll, Emily, decided to ride one. — Why is it that I started humming the tune of the lone ranger? That’s way before my time. — Only these dolls don’t bend so Emily became a trick rider.
Claire told Emily she was leaving to go to the post office to ‘take care of bills’ and for Emily to ‘eat more cake.’ When she came back, I asked her what the dogs names were. She said “Um… Sarah and Selia.” I stared at her for a full thirty seconds before I laughed. Those are my protag’s names. One from The Triune Stones and one from The Devil You Know. But how did she know that? I mean I never discuss my work with my three year old… aside from: ‘Mommy has to work now, please go play.”
I suppose I shouldn’t be surprised. Just as she takes my real world—the post office bit—and interprets that into her play, my imaginary worlds have also filtered into her life. My first fan. It’s kind of nice.
"I'm a goofy goober, yah!"
Shawna Thomas: Just another day in the life... 