Favorite Games

Elaina has a set of games that she particularly likes to play.  She still likes a good cave to play in, but she’s added a whole set of new games.

The one you see pictured here involves tucking-in Nadia, who fortunately, is a very patient cat.  In this case, she only has to deal with a little girl “tucking her in” with a mouse pad and giving her a kiss. 

Goodnight Daddy

Of all Elaina’s games, my personal favorite is, “Goodnight Daddy”—especially on Saturday mornings.  It goes like this.  We’re in the living room, on the couch, and Elaina decides it’s time for my nap.  I agree.

Elaina:  “Goodnight, Daddy.  Get some extra rest.”

Me:  “Okay, Sweetie.  Goodnight.”  (Witness the demonstration of maturity—no cries of “No nap! No nap! I’m not tired!”  I just go right down for my nap with no complaint.  I’m really teaching her an important lesson here.)

Elaina:  Turns out the light, tucks me in, gives me Duck, and kisses my forehead. 

This game varies in length.  Sadly, it’s usually not very long. 

Hide and Seek…sort of

A closely related game is Elaina’s variant of “Hide and Seek”.  We first started playing “Hide and Seek” this summer on vacation.  Then, she’d count, but she’d wouldn’t keep her eyes closed, and she’d follow you while you tried to hide. 

This latest version doesn’t represent a huge jump in her understanding of the game.  She now will count (sometimes) and close her eyes (sometimes), but she tells me where to hide.  And it’s always the same place.  However, once again, I’m the real winner here, because I have to hide on the couch, under a blanket.  (I know, it sounds like I make up the rules to these games, doesn’t it?  But they’re her rules, I swear.)  This one goes like this:

Elaina (excitedly):  “Play Hide and Seek?  Play Hide and Seek?”

Me:  Sure.

Elaina:  Runs and grabs a blanket from the basket in the corner of the room and brings it to me.  “Hide, Daddy.”

Me:  Lie down on the couch, pull the blanket over my head.  If I hesitate, she pulls it over my head for me, with an abrupt, “Bye!”.  Then, I make sure I’m ready for impact.  (You’ll see.)

Elaina:  Giggling, looks all around the blanket to see if she can see in.  If Heidi’s in the room, she’ll ask, “Where’s Daddy, Mommy?”

Elaina:  Climbs up on the couch, still giggling.

Then, there’s that moment of eerie silence that you usually only experience in movies, right before something scary happens.  I brace for it, grinning under the covers….

Me:  “Oof!”  Elaina lands on me, having jumped on top of the “pile of blankets” on the couch.

Elaina:  “Gotcha!” she says, grinning, pulling back the blanket while sitting astride my ribs.

It’s not exactly  “Hide and Seek” but it captures the spirit pretty well, it’s funny, and my part in this consists mostly of lying on the couch.

Prickly Cactus

Finally, there’s “Prickly Cactus”, yet another game that involves my relaxing under a blanket.  (Again, I’m not the originator of these….)

This time, I’m sitting on the floor with the blanket over my head.  My hands are out of the blanket, fingers in prickly, tickly position.  If Elaina gets too close, the prickly, tickly spines get her.

Carefully, Elaina avoids the prickly, tickly spines and tries to climb on the cactus, or hug the cactus—or something—we’re never quite sure, because as soon as she touches the cactus, it strikes!  Whoosh!  The blanket is thrown over her head.  Whoosh! Whoosh!  She gets wrapped up from the left, from the right—a perfect burrito wrap.

“Help, help. Save me!” she cries, giggling and struggling against the burrito wrap trap of the prickly cactus—the living room’s most dangerous plant.

“I’ll save you, Elaina!” I say in my best heroic voice, pulling the blanket off her.  Or if she’s fought herself partially free, I’ll encourage her to be her own hero and free herself.  After all, I don’t want to raise her to be a damsel in distress.  (I expect a mention of the lessons of Prickly Cactus in her graduation speech.)