Play Time
One of the most meaningful ways we spend time with the kids is in simple play. Coloring together, kicking the ball around, playing with the toys we bring. Most of things I brought this year were donated by my customers and friends in my neighborhood. They dropped off things while I was still hiking, things like art and craft supplies, Legos, and the big hit this year- matchbox cars and little Thomas train sets that stick together with magnets. My neighborhood has a philanthropic heart.
I sat on the porch for hours playing with the little boys and the little cars. It was extra fun for me because I know the boy who enjoyed them when he was little and generously sent them to these children. (Thank you Jack!)
Two little boys followed me as though hypnotized as I carried the plastic box to the porch. The shapes of the cars inside were visible and the boys were excited. I put the box down on the floor and the boys literally oohed when I took the lid off to reveal at least 50 or more mint little matchbox cars. They looked at me as if to say -can we touch them? I took out two and put one in each of their hands. They examined them carefully and then started taking the cars out of the box, one by one. They looked them over and then either parked them on the floor or put them in their shirt, using it as a basket. One of the behaviors of children raised in institutions is hoarding. They do it with food, toddlers will hold food in their cheeks like chipmunks, and they do it with things. The cars in the shirts were being hoarded
