My Daughter, The Role Player

When our daughter first started going to play school, I was beyond excited. My girl was a big girl. I positively loved checking her diary each day to see what they had been up to. When we heard she had to dress like a flower for some role play thing, I went a little mad.

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I called an old friend to discuss what we should make her. Since old friend lives in Bangalore and I lived in Delhi, we did what any normal person these days does. We came online and exchanged crude drawings @ Microsoft paint (since both of us are too technically challenged to operate Photoshop), called up a couple of times and then decided that we should dress her up as a sunflower. That was the easy part, for anyone who has met Ankita knows that she is no delicate English rose.

Now, came problem number two. What was she going to wear? I hate those market made, velvet based, stinky, readymade outfits. So Ankita and I went shopping and bought her a yellow t-shirt, green slacks, a length of yellow and green satin ribbons and a hair-band that looked like something a bee had misplaced. Worked past mid-night to get her outfit ready and then worked harder to get her to wear it the next morning.

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This event was followed by the Fancy Dress Competition.

Followed by the Role Play  where kids had to come dressed like an animal…

And then as a Freedom fighter

Followed by  ‘Radha’ (for girls) and ‘Krishna’ (for boys). Of course apart from all the hassle of getting her dressed, my daughter wanted to be dressed like Krishna “with the feather in his head and flute in his hand”… and also because grandma calls her ‘Kanna’ (another name for Krishna)

Next week, I have to dress her up for the Annual Day.

I don’t think I am as excited about this whole thing as I used to be.

Can the kids just play themselves for a change? And not pretend to be people or things they are not? For one, it will be easier on the nerves of parents who would rather play with their kids than teach them how to play act.