It clings to fabric and sticks on the floor. It deposits a crusty film on my table and my daughter's hands. It disappears into the nooks and crannies of my kitchen and lurks there as dried bits of neon orange and pink and green.
It's messy, nasty stuff. And that's not even the worst part.
But I'm getting ahead of myself.
Yesterday, Sunshine spied a rogue container of orange Play-Doh in the junk drawer (yet another setback in my war against clutter). She immediately begged to play with it, of course. I agreed reluctantly and then sat at the table with her.
As soon as that orange glob hit the place mat, my child was brimming with requests.
"Mommy, can you please make a snowman?" She asked.
"Sure," I answered. Easy enough.
I quickly formed a disproportionate 3-inch snowman and placed it on the table in front of Sunshine. She examined my handiwork with a critical eye.
"He needs a hat...and eyes and a mouth." She paused as I used my fingernail to make two dots and a line on the snowman's face.
"No, he needs real ones. You know, pebbles."
"Okay, I'll try." I responded. 'Cause it really matters that the itty-bitty fake snowman has tiny fake pebbles on his face. Ha!
I laughed to myself, naive to the sculpting challenges to follow.
"Now can you please make him a house?" She asked as she looked up from the ball of Play-Doh she was working in her hands.
I built a rough house in the shape of a square. Walls only.
Good enough.
"It needs a roof."
Or not.
"The snowman wants a bed inside, with a pillow and blanket."
Sorta demanding, isn't he? First a house, and then furniture? Fine.
"Now he's hungry." She declared, and then rattled off a list of impossible requests: "Can you make a table and chair for him? And a tiny plate with a fork and spoon? Then you can make him some salmon, a baked potato, and olives."
What the...? ARGHH!
I managed to convince Sunshine that snowmen don't really need food. (Er, at least not as much as they need a roof over their heads and a comfortable place to sleep.)
My patience was withering even as my dislike for Play-Doh grew.
Then came the final request.
"The snowman is getting hot. He wants a swimming pool and he thinks we should put water inside."
Stupid, annoying Play-Doh.
"No, honey." I finally drew the line. It was time to bestow some ancient parenting wisdom.
"Snowmen don't always get what they want."
2 comments:
I love this because I can sooo hear her voice requesting all of the things for the snowman.
She's so adorable.
Ha, ha! Cute little one you have there. I love it! It's snowing here, so that was the perfect story for today. At least you were sitting at your table and not out in the snow trying to build the snowman, his house, furniture and meal... :)
Post a Comment