If John were a girl, I think we’d be playing “tea party” often these days. But John hasn’t heard of tea parties, so he has us eating chocolate. His imagination is experiencing a surge of development. In the last few days, he has been pretending that his red Duplo blocks are chocolates. He brings me chocolates and asks me to eat them. Then he remarks with alarm that they are starting to melt, so he brings me a “plate” (a big flat Duplo) and a “napkin” (a small flat Duplo), as well as a “fork.” Suddenly remembering the manners he doesn’t possess at the actual table with actual food, he admonishes me to eat with my fork if he sees me eating a chocolate with my hands. We eat the chocolates (with sound effects) and comment on what flavors they are. We carry the chocolates around to different rooms of the house to eat them there. If John is feeling magnanimous, he offers a chocolate to Mary.
If I try to stop eating chocolates and say I am done with the game, he becomes very distressed! We must eat more chocolates! Please, won’t I eat chocolates with him? I have “eaten” so many “chocolates” for so many hours over the last few days, I think I’m going to burst!
At least I will have lots of practice at imaginary eating by the time Mary is asking me to join her for a tea party.
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