Can You Imagine?

Since Lynden entered his toddler stage I've been looking forward to watching his imagination develop.  Just shy of his 3rd birthday it's in full swing and it's wonderful to watch him pretend.

He has tea parties with his great grandma, he makes up songs (my all time favourite, so far, was him singing "I am happy" over and over again while playing), he picks up "Aunty Babwa" from the train station, he has sleep overs with "Aunty dada", he has parades (hourly), he talks to his action figures, he's a walks like a dog or hops like a frog, he marches, brings me food out of his stories, has conversations on anything that looks like a phone with various people (real and fictional) and many many more things. 

As his memory of things gets longer and longer I've noticed him pretending more and more.  In hindsight it makes sense, it allows him to recall actual experiences.  It makes for some interesting conversations (this morning he talked about going to the airport and everything we saw, and he was able to remember most of it). 

It has also helped with his occasional bad dreams.  When he tells me he doesn't want to go to sleep because of bad dreams I tell him to choose what he wants to dream about.  He usually opts to dream about going to a parade (sometimes with Mickey Mouse) and after every sleep he tells me about his "parade dreams".  Did I mention he likes parades?  It's all he's about.  I can't wait to watch him on Sunday at the parade, as paraded out as I am it's worth it to see his excitement. 

As his imagination grows I will have to keep an eye on him (I don't need him thinking he can fly from the roof with a bedsheet tied around his neck) and explain what's real and what's pretend.  Thankfully, at this age, he's a cautious child and won't try much new stuff without checking with us.  The rare time he does something we don't want him to we explain why and what to do, like when he opened the door at my grandparents and walked out to the stoop we just reminded him he cannot go outside or open doors without telling us first.  He was okay with that and next time he went to open the door he asked (that reminds me, I want a chain for the door when we move, just in case...).

Lynden's imagination has been my favourite thing about the toddler stage.  I can't wait to see what he figures out next.