The Daily Burns

A few weeks ago I was puttering in the kitchen while the kids played in the dining/living room area.  I wasn’t really listening. They were playing one of their many imaginary games but I don’t know what the characters were.  Eventually I tuned back in see if there was play arguing or real arguing going on.  I looked over and Asher looked a little bewildered while grace was sitting on her knees, head in hands weeping.  It sounded like a fake cry, a very very sad fake cry, and I couldn’t really tell if it was fake or not.  I walked over and asked Asher what he did to his sister what was going on, but he didn’t seem to know.  They were “just playing and then she started crying”.   I knelt down and asked Grace if she was ok and head still in hands she sobbed, “I’m just sooo sad…”  Giving Asher the “you better not have lied about not doing anything to her eye” I asked why she was sad.  Looking up at me wide-eyed, tears streaming down face, “Because I am just a poor kid and don’t have any parents.  They died and no one has adopted me.” (or something along those lines.  It’s been a common play scenario for the past 6 months).

“Grace, are you really sad and crying or are you just pretending?”

Complete composure, wiping tears from face, “Just playing with Asher.”

Following that was the oh so common, “please do not REALLY cry when you are just pretending” speech (it sounds very similar to the “you may only scream if you are seriously injured or about to die” speech), and sheepish apology to my son.

Is this a common 3 year old skill or should I get the girl an agent?

Well, I’m not entirely sure it’s his FIRST poem, but the first that i remember recording anyway. So here’s the thing: i was in the kitchen making muffins while he was in the living room having ‘roomtime’. After drawing and reading he was basically just walking in circles around the living room seemingly talking to himself. After awhile i was thinking it sounded like he doing some ’spoken word’ poetry or something. It was slightly rhyming, and sounded a bit rhythmic…he was also not speaking in complete sentences. Sure enough after a bit he came into the kitchen & said, “Hey mom, I just made a poem about war!” I commenced to kick myself for not stopping to write down what i was hearing….so he offered to re-enact it for me. Unfortunately it wasn’t quite the same as the original (no rhyming either). Regardless, here is the attempt at re-creating it.

Boo-boo’s spreading
Ambushing working
Being seen NOT working at all!
Knights flying
arrows shooting
ships sinking
horses jumping.
Helmet visor down! Sword out of scabbard.
Go guards, go! Help the knights!
Sadness spreading
But: music spreading too
wars beginning again (no more music now).