Africa Bound Andrews

The dinosaur turns 3 in a few weeks. For weeks, we have been debating about how to celebrate. Talking to him about it does no good. He does understand parties or presents or having everyone together to eat cake just for him. Oh, he definitely loves parties and presents and cake, but Christmas was confusing and awkward for him and The Angel. One of the things about adopting older children who have been institutionalized is their inability to have learned play. During Christmas with everyone we knew giving them gifts, they didn't really understand after the wrapping-ripping was done, what they were supposed to do with the toy or the clothes inside.


He the attention span the length of a burp and while he gets excited when he sees:

a RAH... as he calls them.

THOMAS!

or Buzz

He simply has no concept of how to play with either toys or interact with a game that either other kids are playing or his sister is telling him how to play. So there will be candles and cake, that's really all we know for sure.

We've been working on helping them develop their own play with not only one another but other kids. But when we are at home not matter what we are doing, they would rather be right next to us, helping with laundry, mopping the floor or doing dishes. And while a huge part of me prays these attitudes continue through their teenage years, I do want them both to develop a sense of imagination and play.

A few weeks ago, hubby and I were working on some paperwork and we thought it a good time to mandate that the kids play in their room for 20 minutes without coming out. We left their door open which can be seen from our kitchen table. About two minutes after putting them in their room and bringing out play dough and shape cutters and explaining that they could make whatever they want and just play together, the Hero and I made it back to the table to look up and see something that looked like this from their room:
Both of them were sitting on their bottoms, legs crossed and staring at us in the doorway of their room. So needless to say, The Dino's bday needs to have lots of kids and cake involved. And probably no play dough.