Back Away from the Play-Doh and Nobody Gets Hurt

Daycare sends a report card home with Alexis everyday that outlines her activities, eating, etc. About a month ago, I started to see "Play-Doh" under activities along with some comment in the margin such as "loved it!" or "really enjoyed!" The first time I thought they were a bunch of crazy people for intentionally introducing 20 kids under the age of four to Play-Doh. The next time I saw it I wondered if Alexis perhaps was eating the Play-Doh and that was why she liked it so much. The third time I asked and was told that the kid "love, love, loves Play-Doh!" So I bought her some. And it sat around for a week or two collecting dust because I didn't feel like putting myself through the level of supervision that Play-Doh and an 18-month old requires.

Today, I got brave. I cleared a place on the easy-to-clean wood floors and broke out the red and blue Play-Doh. Alexis and I discussed the pretty colors for a few minutes then I tried to show her how to squish it. Wrong answer. I was not supposed to squish the Play-Doh. Once she stopped lecturing me, I noticed that the point of the game seemed to be to just hold the stuff in both hands and look around to make sure that no one was trying to take it from you. When a cat had the audacity to try to sniff the Play-Doh, she promptly (and loudly) informed him to BACK AWAY FROM THE PLAY-DOH. Then she set up a barricade, creating a ten-foot barrier between herself, the Play-Doh, and the rest of the world. Jasmine tried to cross the barricade and is now cowering in the corner, shaking with fear.

At some point in time, I'm going to have to cross into enemy territory and try to separate the Play-Doh from it's guardian. If you don't hear from me for a few days, please send in reinforcements. Maybe try calling daycare, because obviously they have a very different definition for "loves it" than I do.