Monday, August 01, 2005

I am not Tyrone

Anna has quite an imagination. Lately, she insists we role play stories that are important to her. At first, since we are reading the Little House on the Prairie books, a chapter per night, she pretended she was Laura. I had to be Pa and shoot a deer and hang it in a tree so the wolves wouldn't get it, and play my fiddle so she could sleep at night. Sometimes I was Ma or Mary, but poor Colin always had to be Baby Carrie.

That lasted about 3 days. Then we launched into imaginary land in Anna's favorite TV show, the Backyardigans. This cute show on Nickelodeon has 6 characters that have pretend imaginary adventures in their backyard. Its format is like a musical, and the characters dance and sing about being pirates, or cowboys, or Yetis, etc.

Despite the fact that there are 2 female characters, Anna decided I would be Tyrone (a moose) and she would be Pablo (a penguin). Colin was Baby Austin and Anthony was Daddy Austin. If I called her Anna, she would correct me and say, "You mean 'Pablo.' Say 'Pablo,' Tyrone." All day long, I had to call her Pablo. And there was no more Mommy, just Tyrone. Even in the lullaby I sing her at betime, I had to sing her name as Pablo.

For 3 weeks.

At the end of the 3 weeks, she saw a new Backyardigans episode (The Tower of Power), in which Pablo and Tyrone are Supervillans, Yucky Man and Dr Shrinky. So now I'd say, "Time to brush your teeth, Anna - I mean Pablo." And she'd say, "You mean Yucky Man, Dr Shrinky." She was correcting me all the time, because I was forever forgetting who it was I was talking to. "OK, Dr Shrinky," I'd say, and she'd yell, "No, that's YOU! I'm Yucky Man!" Then she'd do her Supervillan laugh, "Mwaa-hahahahaha!"

Colin, incidentally, was Captain Hammer. He'd wake up all sweet and sleepy from his crib, and say sweetly, "Hi, Anna!" And she'd say, "No! I'm Yucky Man!"

Last night, we read a nature magazine about Seal Pups in the arctic (the cute white kind that get themselves clubbed for fur coats - but it didn't mention that). Now, I have been miraculously transformed into Seal Mommy, and I have to call her Seal Pup. There's lots of Barking and Fish Eating going on.

I am so happy to be called Mommy again, even if its preceded by seal.

6 comments:

Unknown said...

lol she really gets into her stories and shows huh

Jessica said...

Aww! I love Anna! Her imagination is endless! I am glad too she is not longer Pablo. I like Seal Pup better and I don't mind serving her imaginary fish for lunch. (At least it's food and at least she's not a penguin anymore.) I guess now I am going to have to learn to draw seals. She's so adorable! I am so glad I get to spend so much time with your kids!

Emily said...

Ha ha! I missed not hearing her say my name while I was there, too. (I was Tasha.) You're such a good sport!

Anonymous said...

Yes, you are a good sport. I don't know how you keep your "roles" straight but then again you do have someone reminding you who you are! :) Love you, M

Unknown said...
This comment has been removed by a blog administrator.
Unknown said...

oops, I was trying to edit and I deleted.

Just wanted to say she is our fearless leader, and we tend to like what she likes, do what she did/does. So I guess you give me a good preview of what's to come.

P&G are stuck on wearing polar fleece -- IN JULY/AUG in Houston, for heaven's sake -- and playing imaginary tea and soup with their plastic pink Disney princesses set. We eat a LOT of imaginary soup.