Discovery Gateway

When we were in SLC, we went to the Discovery Gateway Children’s Museum for old times sake. We used to have a family membership here and would take the Boogedy regularly, even before he could walk. I used to go nuts in the wintertime with no access to playgrounds. The museum saved my life. On this visit, more than a year since the last time we went, the water smock actually fit.

Just like when he was littler, he wanted to spend all his time putting the plastic balls into the vacuum tubes and watching them zoom around. This was good for at least an hour.

This was the day before we left town and I was exhausted and glad of the opportunity to sit back and visit with Auntie Kristin while the boy occupied himself. Occasionally he dragged her into playing pretend with him.

It was the first time he had ever expressed interest in the helicopter on the balcony. It was also, strangely, the first time Kristin ever came along with us and got suckered into pushing all the buttons.

It was a great way to spend our last day in town.

Barbies and Bikinis

Growing up, I had all kinds of dolls: a plastic baby crocheted into her own afghan, a hot water bottle wrapped in a washcloth; a drinking and peeing baby; a “lifelike,” ceramic-headed infant with a rounded fabric body and bum weighted with five pounds of little beads; a black-yarn-haired cotton doll the size of a 5 year old that my mom made for me (including her lavender pioneer dress and handbag and white bloomers).

However….

I did not have Barbies. My mother was opposed to the impossible figure they would inspire me to attain, which is fair, because I am a long-waisted 5’3″, which means I have Very short legs. I can wear capris as long pants.

My mom was also opposed to bikinis, because young girls shouldn’t be sexualized or show too much skin. I also didn’t get to wear much  black, because kids should wear lots of happy colors.

Once, when I was nine, my mother’s sister (Aunt Delores) came to town from 2500 miles away. She took me to a bunch of yard sales on Saturday morning and bought me several Barbies with frazzled hair and arthritic knees. She laughed and laughed when she found and bought for me a tall, busty German doll with erect nipples. That one was a non-standard-size doll of impossible figure, so she never got any clothes.

I felt terribly scandalous, then, when I used my sister’s eyeliner to paint one of those Barbies with a black bikini. Twenty-six years later I still remember my mortification when my mom found it under my bed. I thought she’d be furious, so I swore up and down that I hadn’t painted it, that it had come that way.

I wonder if I was a better liar then than I am now? Perhaps when you’re a parent, you just get used to finding strange things in your kids’ rooms. Zach told me he once spent weeks collecting his urine in empty soda pop bottles in his dresser drawer, to “see what would happen.” I’m sure his mom had an absolute fit about it.

Thanks Jane Brocket for reminding me about dolls and pretend play. Also, I had a fun time reminiscing about the toys of the 80’s at this website.

Pretend Cooking and Washing

Zach found this awesome little sink and stove play station on the curb on the east side. He brought it home and washed it up, good as new! We got some little pots and pans (a steamer basket!? so cool) and a set of mini silverware at IKEA. We showed the Boogedy how to cook his veggies in the steamer (putta-yid-on!) and saute them on the burner (shake-um shake-um!). We “washed” our hands in the little sink. This toy is wonderful. It even has a little shelf for “cookbooks” under the sink, currently it holds his favorite cardboard books. Thank you anonymous neighbor who put this toy outside for free!

The Boogedy has gotten really into helping me cook lately, and my mom is planning to make him his own little apron. I love having a little guy.