I feel excused

Tonight is a Big Girl Friday, but J is busy and going out to some cheese and wine event with a friend of hers from school, so it’s a Dada Kiddo date night.  We have plans to venture out to the mall and get dinner and then from there, she’d really like to go to the kids play place in the mall.  A Friday night should have the place hoppin’ with kids, so hopefully I can get her in, watch her meet some kids and then read for 90 minutes.  Not that I would mind playing, mind you, but if she can make some friends and use her Thai and just run her little butt off and come home and I can just toss her in the general direction of the bed and she’ll just be out.  

Other than that, I got a ProController for my Nintendo Switch today.  The JoyCons are great, but very tiny.  Suitable for littler hands.  Someone Kiddo sized.

See, she’s watching me game a lot now.  Asking questions.  Wanting to sit on my lap and have her hands over mine to feel the controls and movements, but the thing is, she’s starting to anticipate and guide my hands before I can.  

That’s impressive.

She’s watching.  Learning.  Figuring it out.

So, ProController for me and the JoyCons for her.  Got some Kiddo friendly games and plan on getting more.  Two player type stuff.  That way, she can go alone on the controller and I can be there to play with her or lead as needed.  If it takes a game or two for her to get a feel and she needs to sit in my lap to get a feel for the buttons and movements, then so be it.

But, I’m raising a little gamer.

She already knows that she wants to play Hunted Castle (Hades).  Sonic.  Shadow of the Colossus, “but not until I’m older Dada.  Like 8.  That game looks too hard for 5 year olds.”  I have a Mario game that we can two play and she’d be more support role, so we can break that out as well.  A Luigi’s Haunted Mansion game that she watched me play a bit in Quarantine that she digs that she can also play support role in.  And from there we can just let her go and decide and play what she likes.  

She also is really interested in getting a PS5.  Not only so she can see the end of Ratchet and Clank Series (I don’t think Insomniac is going to make more and if they do, it’ll be after Spider-Man and those games, so years from now) but also so she can start playing Dada games.  I promised her that when I got a PS5, I’d set her up with a profile.  She didn’t know what that was.  I explained that she would have a name that she could use to be on the PS5 and it would have games for just her with her own characters and picture (you can make a little avatar of yourself) and colors and even clothes and hats.  If you happen across a banana soon, please return it too Kiddo.  She didn’t lose ALL the bananas at the news, only most of them.

She then wants to learn to read and write better with Mumma this summer too.  

And get better at swimming.

And do more cooking with Dada.

And she wants a map of the world so she can see all the places she wants to go.

She’s growing and making sense of things.  She’s learning and exploring a lot of new things.  And soon, she’ll be in school and have peers and get info and feedback and peer influence and all that, but she’s figuring it out and J and I are constantly telling her it’s ok to try things and then trying again later if you want.  She asks if other girls play video games.  We tell her it’s more boys than girls, but a lot of girls play.  I even looked up a women’s eSport team to show her that yes, girls play and play well.  She’s exploring the world.  Her place.  If fitting in means giving up yourself or how to fit in while being yourself.  It’s a complex time.  It’s fun and frustrating to watch and see.  Because the emotions are so surfaced.  But it’s very real too.  The joy or anger or frustration is pure.  I get frustrated at games too.  Maybe we just take a five minute break and we can try again.

Another thing she is exploring is language.  Both English and Thai.  She’s starting to joke with Beer on some words.  Si Khaw is white.  Pronounced See Cow.  But Khaw (Cow) is rice.  Kiddo was joking with with Beer and saying See Rice or See Moo.  She had a few more.  It’s just cute watching her explore that.  

With J and I it’s the same.  The other night, she wanted to be done with dinner.  Usually she’ll ask if she can be done or if she can be excused.  Recently, however, she took a bite of something.  And she had eaten a great dinner; most of a salad, 2/3rds of a chicken breast, and two bowls of buttered noodles.  J asks, “How ya feeling Kiddo, want a few more bites?”  Completely deadpan, “Nope!  I feel Excused.” and she hopped down and went to wash her hands and play.  

Sometimes, some of the things she says…. Or the way she says it.  Cracks me up.

Lastly, here is the cupboard with the new plates and bowls, and glass wear.  I’ll try to remember to get some close ups on the plates.  Some of the designs are cool.  Oh, and a good beer pour in my Skull Mug with an icy mohawk.  Nice to have, especially nights this week as it's been upper 70s and not too humid or rainy, so windows open and just having a beer and a night.