The Games we play

I was under the car doing some repairs and the girls and their friends were playing nearby. They were running around playing hide and seek and it came to be Molly's turn to be "man". Immediately and without, thought they all agreed to walk when they were caught (instead of running to base) in order to make the game fair all round. I also saw that when another friend was seeking, if they found Molly they also walked to the base to give Molly a chance to be competitive in her own right. I must admit I was so impressed by the simplicity of it all and the devotion of her friends to make a favourite game equal for all.

It reminded me of when my boys were young and went to visit my Mum. Next door to my Mum there was a young girl who'd had her arm amputated just below the elbow. Off my boys went to play with this girl and after 20 minutes I went outside to check everything was ok. What I saw astounded me. My boys were playing with their forearms doubled up into their T-shirts, replicating the young girl. At first I was horrified that my boys would mock in such a way but then noticed two things. The first was that there was no malice in my boys' actions, it was just childhood innocence and their attempt to be like their friend. The second was that, maybe for the first time, someone was wanting to be like this little girl, instead of her being made to feel different in some way - which as adults we all know kids are so capable of. The smiles and laughter coming from the three friends said it all really.

Aren't kids amazing in their adaptation to one another and their enviroment.