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"At our house, we play out back. We play a game called 'Ring the Gack'...
September 18, 2007 if you'd like to play this game, come down! We have the only Gack in town." *
I don't feel well today. And we have guests, many many guests. One guest, two guests, red guests, blue guests. Guests in the garden, guests in the tree house, guests around the fire circle, guests in the Big House. It's awesome. But I wish I felt a little better today.
And we don't have a Gack, and we don't live near those guys who do, so I have another game that you can play with your kids, if you have some. You could play this with anyone's kids, though, really.
Here's an example of how we play this game: (everyone is piled on my lap or curled up around me)
Mama: "Kid A, what's your favorite thing about YaYa?"
Kid A: "I don't know."
Mama: "Mine is the songs that she sings."
Kid A: "Yeah, that's my favorite thing, too. I like the songs that she sings."
(YaYa beams.)
Mama: "YaYa, what's your favorite thing about Kid A?"
YaYa: "I don't know."
Mama: "I like his smile."
YaYa: "Yeah, that's mine too. I like his smile."
(Kid A grins; one of those heartstopping, sun-breaking-through-the-clouds smiles of his.)
And we go our separate ways, after we laboriously find out that all of us have the same favorite thing about Leafy. (!) His dancing. He doesn't really get the game yet, though, so he's been long gone.
And I notice that YaYa sings more than usual, and Kid A smiles at himself in the mirror, and we all have learned again how sweet it is to point out what is beautiful in each other.
*From One Fish, Two Fish, by Dr Seuss, only one of the best books in the whole world, and one I happen to have mostly memorized, due to the number of times we've read it.
Reader Comments (11)
oh I like that game. I'm playing it tomorrow.
We have a similar one it goes, "What was your favorite thing that happened today?"
One fish is very good, but my FAVORITE is the Lorax :) I read it to my older sons class last year and cried as I did so. I was glad that I wasn't laughed at by a bunch of 2nd graders. They jusy gave me hugs.
You are forever giving great ideas that must make your children feel so special! My kids have heard regularly about their great qualities from ME, but how wonderful to teach them to look at each other and recognize great qualities that are found there too. There's no end to the value of learning that skill at a young age.
Hope you feel better soon so as to better enjoy your abundance of guests.
I love that too.....it's fun to encourage one another - it reminds me of what you and your brother and sister were often like - building each other up.... it's important. I always tried to make sure that our home was a "refuge and a safe place" because the world is often crazy and harried.
Have fun with your company, remember to just take time to "be still" in the midst of everything. Hope they are all helping you!
Thank you for that! What a wonderful game! If you have any other ideas for how to help siblings love and care for each other, please let me know. I'm an only child and could use the advice! My girls are 20 months apart, and they sleep in the same small room. I did this on purpose to help them bond. They play together really well (most of the time), but I'm always on the lookout for ways to help them nurture and respect one another. Your idea is awesome. Thanks again!
Dr, Seuss is quoted a lot at our house. I am going to play that game with my kids today. I think it is a great game. Now, if we only had a Gack
Oh, thank you for sharing this. This is such an edifying and sweet thing to do with the kids.
I like that game!
Dr. Suess is oft quoted round these parts. One Fish, Two Fish, is indeed a good one but I have to agree with Burn on this one and say that the Lorax is my favorite. I read the Lorax this year to my kids and they all wanted to go plant Tufflela tree seeds. They now speak for the trees for the trees have no tongues.
What a wonderful game that you play. I want to play too.
GACKT!!!!!!!!!!