Leahs' drawer

Why do we think our kids need all kinds of expensive toys and things to keep them entertained? There are all kinds of toys for kids of all ages around our house. (Probably due to the fact that there are kids of all ages running around our house!) Our youngest, Leah, plays with (and chews on) a lot of them. Even ones that are meant for older kids. However, her favorite spot to play, and favorite things to play with, are not in her or her sisters room, or are they even toys!

She likes to climb into a drawer in the kitchen and play with all the dishes in it.

Now this drawer contains all the plastic kids bowls, plates, and utensils. They are in that drawer for a reason. It was planned that way as a good distraction for her while mommy is in the kitchen cooking and such. We did that for the other kids when they were little too. It was fun for them to have a drawer that contains items that they will not get in trouble for playing with.

All the other girls were content to just play with the dishes, make a mess on the floor for mommy to clean up and move on. It kept them from getting into drawers that contained more hazardous items. Leah has taken it a step further.

She is not content to just play with the contents of the drawer. She feels the need to get into the drawer with the dishes. The drawer does seem to be strong enough to hold her up at this time, but we will have to watch as she grows.

I was wondering if she just wanted to see what it was like to be a dish in a drawer, but she keeps going back on a regular basis. I sometimes wonder what is going through her mind when she is doing the things she does.

She once tried to use the other drawers as a ladder to get to the counter top. She would have made it, but we spotted her in time to stop her. Something about a 1 year old on top of a counter playing with steak knives, glasses, and who knows what else, did not seem like a good idea at the time.

Now she seems content to just hang out in the drawer playing with all its contents. She does look pretty cute doing it!

Now to all you parents of little kids out there that are thinking, "I'm never letting my kid go eat at there house! That kid is walking and slobbering over all the dishes that they are going to put food on and feed the kids!" don't worry. We almost always wash them before putting them away.

So there is no need to spend any money on all those expensive gadgets and toys that are out there to entertain your children. They can get hours of enjoyment out of simple household items. Now if I can just get the other 3 to be content with stuff like this we would be set!