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A few days ago, Johnny was asking for a robot “that can walk and talk.” Mike found some cardboard, cut it into a robot shape, and gave it eyes and a mouth. Then he and Johnny covered the entire thing in tin foil. Then they cut out a little boy robot. Such a simple craft, and it doesn’t walk or talk the way I would expect a robot to if I had made that request, but Johnny is thrilled!
And it makes me wonder… How often do parents go out of their way to fulfill what they perceive to be a fairly complex request made by a child when in reality a simple solution would suffice?
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Hm – an excellent question. And a fabulous result for this request!! In Johnny’s imagination, those robots can do ANYTHING!
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Such a good question! Making one leaves much more room for the imagination.
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Very thought-provoking. I would definitely have interpreted that as a request for a fancy electronic robot toy with pre-recorded sounds and mechanical walking.
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My husband is pretty good at turning cardboard into fabulous play things. My daughters love it when he pulls out a hug box because they know it’s going to be turned into something fun.
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Oh so true!
love the robots!
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I would say I’m guilty of always doing the SIMPLE (ie lazy) solution!
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maryanne Reply:
October 18th, 2011 at 2:12 pm
Your kids certainly do not seem to suffer as a result!
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So guilty of that very thing… mind always rushes to the biggest thing!
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Great robot! Great question too.
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Oh, exactly. You gave him the heart of what he wanted and he appreciated it accordingly!
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Such a great point! It’s so easy to forget how they can be satisfied with the simple!
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That robot is better than any you could buy.
My son has that very same shirt! Robots, planes — I think our two boys would get along very well.
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maryanne Reply:
October 18th, 2011 at 3:38 pm
I’m sure they would!
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Good point- so easy to underestimate what imagination can supply!
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What a great story! For Anna’s 3rd birthday she asked for a farm. We bought her an expensive Playmobil Farm set. Turned out she wanted to go to the real farm.
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Your boys make an excellent team. Together they made Johnny’s wish for a walking, talking robot come true.
What a brilliant thing the child’s imagination is.
Your question has got me thinking.
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Yes, Mary Anne, I agree that we often shoot beyond the mark. At the moment I also find myself enticed by so many “frills”, thinking it is good in some way when really my family, the children and I would do better with a much more reduced life!
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maryanne Reply:
October 21st, 2011 at 9:25 am
I find that I have to constantly ask myself, “Do my kids need this, or do I just (think I) want it?”
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