The Sunday Parenting Party - Winter Wonderland or Winter Battlefield?

 (Goblin is 4 years old)

The other day I started despairing. I'd left Goblin a Winter wonderland invitation to play. It has cute winter animals, a lovely mirror lake, glitter playdough and glass beads. I'd been really pleased with how lovely it looked.

When Goblin found it in the morning he looked excited. Yey! I thought, for about two seconds. Then he carefully removed each of the animals and replaced them with military tanks. Seriously? Even my beautiful winter wonderland has to be turned into a battlefield. What is it with my son and war play?
He is fascinated by vehicles, and since visiting Duxford Imperial War Museum military vehicles are his particular fascination, but somehow I had fooled myself into thinking that the magic of Christmas and my sweet snow scene would change his modus operandi.

So I sat and silently fumed for a while that he wasn't playing as cutely as I'd hoped. But when I stopped feeling so aggrieved that I was unable to direct his play to what I considered appropriate for the set up, I noticed what he was doing. He'd fetched his Tank Spotters guide and he was looking up his toys to check which tanks he was placing in his battle.
How could I stay annoyed when my son was educating himself, and using a book even though he can't read. So I got over the idea that my creation shouldn't be sullied with shooting and banging, and instead embraced the child led element. We had a lovely chat about the Second World War and Russia's involvement. We talked about how cold it must have been and how many Russian soldiers weren't properly trained.  And then we had a 'snow ball' fight and buried all the tanks.

My take away lesson is not to assume my child will play with something the way I would. And that following my child's lead can actually lead to learning I may never have initiated myself. 

*****

Great reads from last weeks link up included
Three phrases no parent wants to hear ~ Lemon Lime Adventures
A world of pure imagination ~ Cuddles and Muddles and Muddy Puddles
The Not So Terrible Twos ~ Seeking Shade

<center> </p> <p style="text-align: center;"> <a href="http://www.tamingthegoblin.com/search/label/The%20Sunday%20Parenting%20Party"><img border="0" src="http://i.imgur.com/FJIJWl.jpg"/></a></center> </p> <p style="text-align: center;">

If you are linking up please grab a button and pop it on your post or in your sidebar so others can find this linky and enjoy yours and others posts. Many thanks.

Welcome to The Sunday Parenting Party, hosted by Dirt and Boogers, Play Activities, Crayon Freckles, Taming the Goblin, The Golden Gleam, Prickly Mom, and The Tao of Poop. The SPP is place for readers to find ideas on nurturing, educating, and caring for children, as well as honest posts about the stresses of being a parent or caregiver. Links to reviews and giveaways are welcome as long as they are relevant to the topic. All parenting philosophies are welcome with one exception: please do not link to posts promoting physical discipline, as this is something we would feel uncomfortable having on our blogs. (P.S. By linking up you agree that your post and photos are Pinterest, Sulia, G+ and FB friendly. We will be showcasing ideas on The Sunday Parenting Party Pinterest board.)