Tracking is Hard to Do

Our Play Therapist, Dhruti, said when we spend, “special time” with our son we had a specific assignment.   She told us to “track” what he does.    This means simply describing what we see him doing such as, “I see you’re lining up the trucks” and then, “you’re driving the cars fast around the track”.

This might sound easy, but it isn’t—at least it isn’t if you’re me.  It was hard not making suggestions like, “those cars don’t fit on the track but these over here do”.   It was hard not interacting as a peer in the play or “game”.    You just sit there with your child and describe what he’s doing, and when you remember, use the word, “choose” to describe what he chose to do such as, “you chose to put the cars under the blanket”.

That last sentence is all I should say.   I shouldn’t follow it up with, “were they cold?” or “why did you put them under the blanket?”  Just track.   That’s all, unless you’re asked to do something to participate.

You’d think this would be boring to a child who knows they’re having their fifteen minutes of special time with you for the day.    But it’s the exact opposite; my son was very happy to have our special time today and for the entire fifteen minutes I watched him play with cars.   He told me what he was doing and how some cars were leaders while other cars were in a specific leader’s army.

Special time with my son tonight was happy for him, even though the only way I played with him was to watch and describe what he was doing.   Again, I don’t understand the minds of children, but it was interesting to see how much he enjoyed just being with me and playing his own game while I watched.

The Big Boy Update:  Yesterday I was organizing toys and told the children they weren’t invited into the bonus room unless an adult was with them.   Today when my son got home from school he asked me if I could go to the bonus room so he could pick out some toys.   I told him I was done organizing and he could go without me.   He ran straight upstairs.

The Tiny Girl Chronicles:  My daughter likes to be careful.   She was excited about the sparklers over the Fourth-of-July and giggled and laughed while it was lit in her hand.   When she was done she said, ”I do not want to do that again.”   I asked her if she didn’t like the sparklers.   She said, “I did like it but I don’t want to do it again.”