The Mystery of the Missing Sock

 

Almost every weekday, I babysit my four year old granddaughter for a couple of hours after preschool. Some might consider it a chore, but in his own way it's a privilege that I'm glad that I've earned. It's usually a rather mundane experience where we play with toys, watch something on TV, or go out in the yard. Then came the mystery of the missing sock.

Me: Where is your other sock?

Her: I dunno.

Me: You had it on a minute ago; did you take it off when you took off your shoes? (Maybe I missed it)

Her: No

Me: Then where is it?

Her I dunno.

The house is only so big, and she had been nowhere except the living room, so the sock couldn't be too lost. I dropped the subject in favor of corralling her to the table so we could play with Play-Doh. The next day, again she appears with only one sock..

Me: Do you know where your sock is?

Her: Un-uh.

Me: But you did have both socks on you came in this morning, right?

Her: I guess.

Me: But now it's gone.

Her: Un-uh.

Well, since I never found the sock from the other day, I looked around and eventually discovered both of them behind the couch. Not sure how they got there, I decided I wouldn't waste any more time on it today. However, I decided that tomorrow I was going to keep a closer eye on her when she went behind the couch and solve this mystery.  

Sure enough, the next day I saw her go behind the couch. I gave her a few minutes before I walked over and peered over the top of the couch to see what she was up to. She and her sister both play behind the couch occasionally, taking dolls and other things back there in creating their own little world. It's good for them to have an imagination like that. But had she dreamed up some sock-eating monster that was devouring her socks?

I looked over the top of the couch, being careful not to let her see me. As I watched, she took off one of her socks, placed it over her hand, and created a puppet. Then the puppet was part of the game that she was playing with her toys. I had an answer, using her imagination she turned her sock into a toy. As is usual for a grandfather, I was impressed and proud of her to come up with something like that on her own.

A little while later, she crawled out from behind the couch wearing only one sock. She crawled up into my lap and asked me to put on Peg+Cat, which I did.  After she had been sitting there a little while, I spoke.

Me: You've been using  one of your socks as a puppet? 

Her: She looked at me for a moment without speaking, and then while still looking at me, said "Uh huh".

She never explained further. She just went back to watching her show on TV. After all, if I'd figured that part out I must know the rest of what she was thinking. Besides, Cat was busy trying to teach Peg something about counting by tens and that demanded her attention. 

There are a lot of little things like this that have happened and continue to happen with all 11 of my grandkids. Each of them are unique individuals with different talents and personalities that I have grown to appreciate and love. This one is my youngest, at least at the moment, and I am so privileged getting to watch her grow up.

Being a Grandpa is cool.

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