Simple play

It's a favourite standby for both of us, a classic for good reason. He starts by running to the pantry and pulling out the bag of cutters he wants. Today it's shapes. Some days it's letters or things that go.

We fall into a comfortable routine, a steady rhythm of rolling, cutting, squishing and rolling
again.



Little by little, I can mark the passage of time and his growth by this activity. He used to not say much at all. Then it was "Ee Ee do." Then it was "Isaac do." Now it's "Isaac make heart. Isaac make circle." As I cut, he tells me what shape it is, or he asks if he doesn't know by pointing. "This?" "That?" And he will ask it again and again until he understands. He used to not be able to cut shapes at all. Now he methodically pushes the cutter into the dough and, more and more often these days, remembers to push all the way to the table, wiggle it and then take out the newly made shape. He's growing up.



I like these moments. Where we are at peace, playing gently and quietly (well, as much as a two and a half year old boy can). Where parenting is simply a matter of making sure there's more rolled out playdough ready to cut, and giving encouraging words about the shape he's created.



It really wasn't that long ago that Isaac was just a baby. Now I see him growing fast, in many ways growing faster than I'm ready for. I think a lot of parenting is trying to stay one step ahead of our kids and instead feeling like we're one step behind. And so much of what I do is for Isaac, like prepping meals, cleaning up, doing laundry, wiping bums. But all he really wants from me is time with him. So for now, I'll just roll some more playdough and play with my boy. He loves it and so do I; in times like these, I can step with him instead of ahead or behind.