Preschoolers are wonderful…think about it. They still think parents knows everything and they think we are perfect (though Grandpa is better). They still like to give kisses and the sweetest hugs for no reason (well, sometimes they do it for the cookie), and best of all they still want to cuddle.
This morning, my Deanna, woke in the most loving mood; as she stumbled in the kitchen with her Dora the Explorer jammies turned sideways from the long night of sleep. She was funny to watch as she had tusseled hair–we call “bed head”–and three stuffed bunnies. She gave me a big “HellOOO,” a loose wrist wave and a smack right on the cheek. Rarely does she come to a full sit for more than a minute. Today, she squatted down on the floor and lined up all three bunnies and left the room.
When she came back, she had a set of Hot Wheels, which she organized into another pile. When she was finished, she stood up and smiled her biggest watermelon smile. Deanna was so proud of her accomplishment and wanted me to be proud too. I was, though I didn’t really know her goal. I was just proud that she seemed to complete something she started.
She is always moving about the house organizing things. Experimenting with her classifications some would say. One day the black horse will belong with the animal pile, the next day it will belong to the long line of black objects lined up in our hallway (which causes Dad to mumble under his breath first thing in the morning).
Preschoolers are learning about relationships and classifications of inanimate objects. Soon she will realize that “girls rule and boys drool” and start classifying people and places. She will gain and lose self-esteem along the way. She may even classify cities by colors, like my much younger brother-in-law, who once renamed the cities surrounding our community the “Brown Town,” the “Red Town” and the “Green Town.” At age 4, when asked why he called them by colors he simply said “because it feels green.” Preschoolers –go figure.