Day out with Granny

(Goblin is 37 months)

Last week we went to Wisley with my Mum, Goblin's Granny. We've been to RHS gardens before and I thought it would be a good place to meet up because Goblin can run around while we look at the plants. However the heavy rainfall had lead to flooding of the grass so all the green areas were out of bounds. 

You try explaining to a three year old that he can't run on the grass. The forbidden fruit of swathes of green were too much for him and a large part of our day was spent trying to get him to follow rules that he didn't understand and telling him off when he didn't.  

 To make matters worse this particular RHS Garden appeared to have been populated with white haired old ladies who took great satisfaction in looking disapprovingly at my rampaging son. Or maybe I was just a bit over sensitive given I was having to curtail his behaviour more than I'd anticipated - its not just kids who find it hard to adapt when situations aren't what they'd expected.

 However the day wasn't a total disaster. We discovered a lovely play area that had 'build your own den' structures and Goblin delighted in dismantling one of them. Pulling off every single 7 foot stick and branch until it was completely bare - at least another child will have the fun of rebuilding it.

 And there were lots of puddles. Normally this would have been awesome but despite me bringing Goblin's waterproof dungarees and two different pairs of wellies he had flat out refused to put any of them on. I'd explained to him that if he went in the puddles without his wellies he'd get very wet and because it was a cold day he'd probably then be quite uncomfortable. Then I'd given him the choice and he'd opted for no wellies. So he got incredibly damp and a bit cold. Sigh!

But just when I thought I might lose my mind from having to keep him on a much tighter leash than either of us are used to when out doors, Granny stepped in and saved the day. She is a great story teller and will happily join in imaginary play, and the particular game in question was fishing, which meant she got to sit down too. I happily took a little breather while Granny and Goblin fished in the duck pond for giant blue dragon fish and told each other tales of their length and strength. 

 I need to brush up on my story telling skills. I think my mum's expertise must have bypassed me - maybe my twin got them all. Either way Goblin adds to the challenge by insisting all the characters have to be diggers.

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