My watch battery died over the weekend. I am finding it very hard to function without it. I feel naked and lost (I just realized that was a TOTALLY random side note).
Anyway...
Last week, my husband and I introduced Kiddo to a computer game - Civilization III. This may or may not have been a mistake. He. Is. Hooked. When he wakes up, he talks about Civ. When he climbs in the car after school, he talks about Civ. A few minutes ago we were snuggling together, battling his insomnia, and he talked about Civ.
For those unfamiliar with the game, you start as a pioneer in an uncharted land with the goal of creating - and sustaining - an empire. You build cities, learn technologies, explore the world and discover other civilizations, and compete with them for various resources. Kiddo rarely plays a game through - given his love of geography, he is far more interested in obtaining maps from the other civilizations and discovering new islands or continents than he is in developing a productive empire. He could play for hours if we let him.
But we don't let him. So the other day we played Civ. with his blocks (and ducks) instead.
He quickly began building his empire.
(major bed-head that day)
This is my neighboring civilization under attack.
Apparently I didn't fortify my cities very well, because it wasn't long before I was completely wiped out.
After I had been annihilated, Kiddo got Daddy into the game.
Daddy was smart enough to form an alliance with Kiddo, and then they went on the offensive against an overly aggressive group of ducks. There were catapults involved in the attack.
The ducks rebuilt out of the rubble, but were much more pacifistic afterward.
I think that's when Hubby introduced the Vikings so that they would have someone else to battle...
I was in the kitchen fixing dinner while they played. I loved listening to them laugh and squeal and enjoy each other. And as I listened, I realized how far Kiddo has come. Two years ago, he would rarely let us be involved in his play without needing to dictate everything - we were only allowed to play with certain things in a certain way, at a certain time. We weren't allowed to make any decisions in the play scenario, because he would then loose control. As I listened to them launch bean bags at block towers and negotiate trade agreements together, I heard Kiddo allowing Hubby to be spontaneous and involved in the game. He let Hubby participate and make unpredictable decisions. Kiddo was more able to roll with whatever unfolded as the story progressed, and have fun doing it.
It was so fun to hear him giggle and squeal and laugh. To see him let go of his need for control and enjoy playing together with someone and appreciate their ideas and suggestions. Awesome. God is good.
2 comments:
Now that sounds like a really fun game for the two of them to play. I'm glad that he translated his favorite computer game into a game of his own. It sounds like the perfect evening.
this was an awesome post. thanks for sharing.
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