A stroke of genius

I have to admit, yesterday I had a stroke of mama genius.

These moments are extraordinarily rare, so I feel compelled to share it with you.

Recently, the Big Boy has become crazily obsessed with a particular scene in a particular episode of "Go, Diego, Go". The episode involves the rescuing of a group of prairie dogs, and the scene that has won my boy's heart involves the prairie dogs jumping over some railroad tracks while avoiding some cackling monkeys, called "Bo-Bo's" on railroad cars.

He laughs hysterically at the Bo-Bo's and enthusiastically tells the prairie dogs when to jump and when to wait.

Yeah, I know - he's an odd kid.

Anyway, he'd like me to replay that particular 90 second segment over and over - which I steadfastly refuse.

What's a mama to do?

Well, I gathered up a few truly random and unrelated toys: 2 monkeys from the "Barrel of monkeys" game, 2 wagons from the "Little People Farm" set, 1 "Little People" lion and 1 "Little People" goat.

"Look!" I say to my baffled three-year-old, leading him over to the train table, "These are the prairie dogs, trying to get across the train tracks." He eyes me suspiciously, as I indicate that the lion and goat are prairie dogs. "Uh-oh! Here come the Bo-Bo's!" I push the monkey-laden wagons down the train track, and he begins to laugh.

That's when I knew I had him.

"Jump, prairie dogs! Jump!" He exclaims, and snatches the lion and the goat from my hand.

Well, he carried that unusual medley of toys around all day, re-enacting that same scene with uncanny accuracy.

I'll have you notice that he is neither yelling nor
bothering his brother in this photo. Bliss.

And that, my friends, is a stroke of mama genius.

I'd love to hear about all the other parenting-moments-of-genius out there. Do tell.