Playing House

Today I played 'house' with my children. Dayton was the Daddy, and Daphne was the Mommy. I was the little boy, and Dayton named me David, but Daphne called me Dave. Our pizza dinner was ready to eat, but instead we played and played and played. I couldn't bear to interrupt our perfect little game, so I let dinner wait a while. The kids played this game for nearly an hour. Here is my account of a few days in our 'house.'

First we went to bed, and my parents gave me a pillow and a blanket. They tucked me in with kisses and said sweet things to me. Mommy said, "See you later, see you next time, love you, bye!"

Day 1
When the first number was a 7, we woke up. I asked Mommy what we were doing today. Mommy said, "We're going to the swimming pool and riding our bikes." What a fun day! I invited Daddy to join us, but he said he had to go to work. He said he would come back from work sometimes. He asked me, "Are you going to miss me?" and I said yes. Then Mommy and I went swimming; she let me splash her! Then Daddy came home and he let me splash him "for a little bit." He said, "You're such a good helper." Then Daddy gave me a 10-minute warning for dinner.

Then it was dinner time. Mommy made me strawberries for dinner; she put salt on it. Daddy made me peanut butter and jelly sandwiches and a milkshake. Daddy didn't get mad when I spilled some of my milkshake; he used his super powers to clean it up. Then Daddy tucked me in with kisses and sweet things. He told me not to wake up until the first number was a 7, and that Mommy would take me to the castle in the morning.

Day 2
Daddy woke me up with a breakfast of pineapple and milkshake. Then he said my lunch would be cheese sandwiches and soup. Then he took me to Mommy and told her to take me to the castle. Mommy made me eat an orange. Then it was dinnertime. Mommy gave me a plate of food and told me she put salt in it. I asked her to feed me, but she said, "No!" Daddy said, "You're a big boy." Then Daddy hurried off because he was going to be late for work, but he stopped to kiss me and say, "Remember, I will always come back." Later Mommy and Daddy fought over the kitchen sink, and I had to break up the fight. Then my parents tucked me in again. Mommy said she had to stay up and wasn't going to bed.

Day 3
In the morning, Mommy said "Ding! It's morning-time!" Daddy said he decided I could watch TV while I was eating breakfast. Then he said, "But today me and Mommy are not eating breakfast because we're old." Then we went to the castle (underneath our dining table). Mommy said it was the Temple, but Daddy corrected her that it was the castle. Then we ate (real) pizza for dinner (still under the table). Mommy said, "Dad, I love you" and Daddy replied, "I love you, too." Then Mommy turned to me and said, "Um, I love you Dave."

Throughout each day, I consistently reminded my parents how wonderful they were, and how much I loved them, which they seemed to appreciate.

Our 'house' was made by Daphne;
she lined up toys to form walls, and used the beauty parlor
as her kitchen; our door/entrance was the treadmill

Special
Playing this game with my kids tonight was incredibly special to me. I played house constantly as a child, and this is the first time my kids performed such extensive role-playing and for an extended period of time. They kept saying things that Derrick and I say to each other or to them on a regular basis. So I tried to mimic their typical words and actions in my role as their son. Everything flowed well, and it was all pieces of our established routine as a family. I ran upstairs after each 'day' so I could type up EXACTLY what we had done. To me the details show how much thought my kids put into their characters, and how much they were trying to be just like their own Mom and Dad. It was a PERFECT game, and I wouldn't change a thing. I would love to play this way everyday, and I hope we play 'house' more often.

Notes: I don't add salt to everything, so I'm not sure why Daphne kept telling me that my food had salt in it. And Dayton and Daphne really were fighting over who got to play with the sink, so as their 'son' I broke up the fight. Also Derrick and I really do eat breakfast each morning, so I don't know why Dayton mentioned their exemption from breakfast because they were old.