Social Awareness

 You have started to come up with ways to persuade us to do things.

This morning I told you that this afternoon after school we are going to have a playdate with Ryan.

You got all excited. "Will I get to go into the basement and play?" you said.

"Well," I told you. "I think today what's going to happen is Ryan and his brother AJ are going to come over to our house. You get to show them some of your toys."

"Oh!" you said. But then you put on a face of extreme concern. "But Ryan might be disappointed that we don't have any Nerf guns."

You, my crafty son, are very keen to be given a Nerf gun.

"I think it'll be okay," I assured you. "After all, he doesn't have as much vintage Fisher Price as you do."

"Oh yes!" you were relieved. "He likes Fisher Price. We like the same things, because we are best friends!"

I can't wait to see your next move in the great Nerf Gun Scheme of 2023.

I haven't met any sons today.

This is a new game you like to play. You will all of a sudden transform into someone else.

"I haven't met any sons today," you inform me. 

"You haven't?" I say.

"Yes. Do you have a son? I'm just a knight/pirate/space ranger/harpooner. I haven't met your son."

"Oh that's too bad," I say. "He's so cool. I think you'd really like him."

"Was he here just a minute ago?" you ask, all concerned.

"I thought so," I say. "I hope he comes back soon. He's so great. He's tall, and handsome, and funny, and a good friend, and his name is Charles."

Often the game will then continue with your alter ego evincing confusion about something Charles knows really well. "I don't know what a restaurant is, I'm just a knight," you explain. "I'm from the olden times."

"Oh I see," I say. "Well, a restaurant is a place where we go a a neighbor makes food for us. My son Charles really likes this restaurant."

Sometimes your alter ego will transform into another alter ego before Charles comes back.

"He's got your imagination and my ability to free-associate," your dad remarked to me the other night.

Other recent innovations:

"Behold!" you said, presenting me a book to read at bedtime with a flourish.

And the other night, when we were talking about a particular book we might want to read, you put on your best Fred Savage in The Princess Bride expression and said "Are you trying to trick me?"

And your dad cracked up and added "Is this a kissing book?"

We think it was your first conversational movie reference. If my son had been here, he would have loved it.