As my children grow older, there are already phases that I am missing. I still do my best to baby my baby. I have not hid the fact that I love the baby phase. I miss the extra snuggle time and the quiet cooing.
Another phase soon to end is the diaper phase. My baby is showing the signs of being ready for the potty. It will be nice to have her be independent in this way, but I've never minded diaper changes (too much). I've always used it as singing time or ABC time or counting time.
When my older daughter was little(r), though, I remember being excited about when she would get older and how we'd play in her playroom kitchen. I was also excited for the girls to get a dollhouse this year for Christmas. I always wanted a dollhouse; and I remember the hours of pretend dollhouse I used to play at friends' houses when I was a little girl.
For some reason, though, playing pretend with my older daughter is not what I thought it was going to be...and not as fun as I was hoping it would be...yet. In the past 24 hours, I have been told to play the role of Clara from the Nutcracker and also Ariel's mother. Pretend with my daughter is not this small session of fun. It's all...day...long.
I'm not alone in my discouragement over pretend play. Daddio and I both struggle to go along with all of the pretend rules. I think we've determined that sometimes pretend play is just a form of being bossy. Sydney is sweet as honey and a warm, caring individual, but when pretend play kicks in, the rules are set, the direction is given and it has to be just right. And this often leads me to wonder, how long will this phase last? And is this a phase that I am going to miss someday?

