PLAYING TRUCKS

 Ryder, my sweet little independent Ryder.  My boy who has always played trucks all by himself for hours has suddenly discovered the joy of playing with others and now he incessantly asks, "play with me?" over and over all day long.  I'm definitely a "hands on Mom," but I can only handle playing trucks for so long, so when the neighbourhood kids and by neighborhood kids I mean girls, came knocking the other day to see if "Ryder can come out to play?" I sent him out with his bucket of trucks. Of corse he is only 2 years old and the neighbors range in age from 3-10 years old, so I wasn't just gonna send him out without spying on him! I struggle all the time with the fine line of letting go and hanging on, but 2 just seems a little young to be outside running around with the neighborhood gang without some kind of adult supervision. So every few minutes Peanut and I walked outside to spy on him.  The first time, I expected to find Ryder playing trucks by himself next to the group of kids while they played one of their more complex games, but to my surprise, I found all of the kids gathered around his bucket, choosing trucks to play with! Ryder looked so proud to be sharing and so happy just to be a part of the group.  They made up some racing game and were playing so well together that when it was time, I had to drag Ryder inside for dinner.  The next day, after they got home from school, the kids all came knocking again, only this time Ryder and I were on a dog walk.  As we came up the street the girls spotted us and started yelling, Ryder! Ryder! His chest puffed out with pride and excitement as he ditched his Mom to go play! They all ran to our house, grabbed his bucket of trucks off the front lawn and headed to the soccer field behind our houses to race trucks down the hills.

Hard for me to get pics of all the kids without looking like a creeper...

Ryder is seriously obsessed with trucks. It never ceases to amaze me how he never ever, ever gets tired of playing trucks.  He would play all day if he could. Sometimes he does.  Everywhere he goes, he brings trucks with him.  Every friend he meets, he gets them to play trucks with him and if you ever ask him, "What are you going to do today?" He'll inevitably answer: Play trucks!

Everyday, after nap (if he takes a nap, he's been trying to give that up, but I am desperately clinging to it) Ryder looks out his window to see if the "neighborhood kids" are outside. If they are not, he will play trucks by himself or I will get to play with him. Sometimes Marty is home and he can play too. Marty is better at playing trucks than me. I'm good at making play dough, which I did the other day. Marty made jumps for Ryder's monster trucks!

He plays trucks in the front yard, in the dirt even when it's cold outside.

 He plays trucks in the house. Everywhere in the house, his favorite locations are: on the train table (no trains or tracks on Ryder's train table, only trucks, on the stairs, in the bathtub(with no water in it) in our ensuite bathroom while I'm getting ready in the morning and right under the jolly jumper. You should see our house, every square inch is covered in trucks!

 When he is not pushing his trucks, he's pretending to drive them!  Notice that Peanut is always a part of the action. She actually loves watching and listening to Ryder play trucks. I wonder if she will play trucks when she gets bigger or if she will have her own obsession...

 Sometimes, when he's really lucky, Ryder gets to play with real trucks!!

 

 Ryder's imagination amazes me. He comes up with all kinds of scenarios. Most of them panic situations that involve the need for a fire truck or a tow truck. He plays loud and he plays intense and it makes him sooo happy!

Kiss your babies, count your blessings and get down on your knees and play trucks every once in a while!