I love it when my kids have imaginative play. I especially love it when it is very intricate. One day, my 5 year old daughter and 3 year old son decided they were going to open a bakery. It was very imaginative and very intricate!

They decided to make cinnamon rolls, cakes, cupcakes, candy, and all types of baked goods, which took hours and hours to make out of paper. There was cutting, coloring, folding, curling, sorting, creating a display, and most importantly, making a huge mess of the play room. At least they were getting along and having fun for the most part.

It wasn’t until the middle of the afternoon, a couple of hours into their bakery journey, that there was drama. My 3 year old son was “messing everything up” according to my 5 year old daughter. Everything was ruined and nothing could be fixed. I’ve gotten to a point with my kids that I can tell when something serious has happened or if someone has a flair for the dramatic - because every journey needs a down period before concluding with an up period (at least according to Disney).

When my daughter was towards the end of her monologue, I grabbed her and gave her a tickle. She broke character and started to laugh. I asked her if she was ok and whether things could be fixed. She said of course and then went back to playing in the bakery.

I’m glad that there are days when the fights and arguments aren’t real, full blown fights and arguments. Sometimes my kids just need to blow off some steam, which is where the drama comes in, but that’s all part of the imaginative play. If only everything could be this easy to solve with a few tickles and a pep talk.