Kevin has a pile of scrap wood in our yard. There is no real purpose to it … it is just waiting to be hauled away someday. The boys have discovered this wealth of imaginative play and this week alone, I’ve seen that wood made into an island, a walking path, and most recently a home for a toad (complete with an amusement park and pool – or so Ricky tells me).
We have no problems with the boys playing with this wood. We just ask that they put it away when they are finished each day. This does cause some grumbling, but so far, they are being fairly obedient.
Yesterday, however, Kevin had to hover a bit to make sure the job got done. Billy, unaware that his dad was hovering on the deck above him, was dragging a large plank across the lawn. Trouble, the dog, happened to be laying in the path that Billy was following.
Billy started talking to Trouble, as only Billy can …
“Trouble, would you mind allowing this board to be your table?”
He then proceeded to lay the table in front of the dog’s paws and walk away.
A voice from above (aka Kevin’s) informed Billy that Trouble did not need or want a table and to put the board where it belonged.
There you go.