To protect the identity of our daughters, my husband and I have decided not to share their names in this blog for now. HOWEVER, I will share the name of my younger daughter’s pretend friend, Ellie, and tell you that she, at times, is a piece of work! Our 4 year old is very much on an Ellie kick! “Ellie and I saw that movie already.” “Ellie and I went bowling this weekend.” “Ellie and I played that game yesterday!” All about Ellie. Sometimes, however, this Ellie character doesn’t always do the right thing. If there is food that was thrown on the floor during mealtime, Ellie did it! If a toy accidentally hit her sister, it was Ellie!
Now let’s pause for a minute – obviously I know that Ellie is not real and was not how the food got on the floor or how her sister accidentally got whacked with a toy. (This isn’t about to turn into a Pixar film, I promise!) Ellie was the scapegoat my daughter used so that she would appear innocent as things would happen. However, if I simply chalked it up to her playing “pretend”, it would send the message that what happened is fine as long as “Ellie did it”. I had to show my daughter that this is not okay. So one day, when my little one was nearby, I literally pulled over an empty chair, invited “Ellie” to sit in it and turned my body to talk to her. I explained in a stern voice to Ellie what specific behaviors are allowed in our house and that EVERYONE is treated with respect at all times – no matter what! I told this Ellie that if she can not follow the rules of our house, then she will NOT be allowed over anymore! Sorry Ellie, go find someone else to go pretend bowling with! Your days are numbered!
My younger daughter had a serious face as she watched this crucial conversion go down. My older daughter had more of a smile. She was either thinking that her mother was completely nuts or she was secretly understanding my master plan (maybe a combination of the two). However, I must say that since that super serious talk between me and a bunch of air, “Ellie” has been showing much better behavior!
At times we may have to turn our chair like a doofus and talk to the occasional imaginary person but as always, Moms, we got this! ❤
