This fall when he first started talking about his Grandma I assumed that he was making up stories about my mom. It made me smile to think that he had such affection for my mom that he made her into the heroine of his imaginary tales. When my mom came to visit for a few weeks in September I was interested to see how he would reconcile his flesh-and-bones Grandma with the Grandma that he kept telling stories about. Now he certainly loves his Nana, and they had some real life adventures together (going to the fire department and getting to sit in the fire engines), but it was clear that the Grandma who lets him keep a spinosaurus for a pet, who shoots real guns, and who lets him stay up all night eating candy is a character not even loosely based on my mom, or Ryan's mom for that matter.
Elliot often uses stories about his Grandma to one-up Oliver. Oliver has been invited to a karate birthday party this coming weekend. Elliot is jealous but he expresses it by telling Oliver that his Grandma had a karate birthday party that was just for him. His Grandma also has a bounce house that he can play on any time he wants. When he is mad at me he tells me that I can't come to his Grandma's house. And then when he feels loving he tells me I can come to his Grandma's house for a sleepover.
This morning I was talking to the boys about being peacemakers. I told them that being a peacemaker meant trying to find a way to not fight. Elliot said, "Actually, my Grandma likes me to fight. He wants me to fight because I fight monsters. Dere are monsters at my Grandma's house. Dey have beebee red eyes."
I love his imagination and I love that he has an imaginary ally who spoils him and lets him do all the things he longs to do and always has his back. In that respect his Grandma IS a lot like his Nana.
4 comments:
Ethan has a similar idea, but instead os a person, it's a place that he calls, "his house." of course, it takes 5 jets to get there, but at his house he gets to drive and he has giraffes, and he even get his own rules - so we have to establish that mamas rules are what we follow at mamas house. I love that they have this outlet to let them feel in control!
So glad you're back Anna! Now if I could only get on the ball…
Elias is convinced that his grandma and grandpa are both "grandpa" but one's a girl and one's not. Then we went and threw great-grandparents into the mix so he's way confused. And the story about one-uping Ollie is a story played out millions of times each week over here, except Elias always wins and Nathan runs away crying. Crazy but fun boys, huh?!
What are those glasses, and where can we get a pair for Kermit, Elliot's canine alter ego?
I love you guys!
Great story. . . love it!
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