Godfrey is going through garbage pick-up truck phase. He’s had his fill of ambulances, it seems – possibly for the best, as I was starting to feel disturbed by how excited he’d get whenever he’d see one with the siren on (I’m not sure he’s managed to connect ambulances to medical emergencies). Anyway, his current favourite game is to pretend to be a garbage truck, and I’m a bit tired of playing it with him. Even his grandpa isn’t taking the bait any more.
What we need is a distraction, and some fresh air, but it’s way too hot to be playing outside today. Where can we be active in air-conditioned comfort? I remember that one of the dads at playgroup mentioned a place the other day. Now what was it? Some kind of indoor play centre in Campbelltown? That sounds right. I’m sure Godfrey will use it as an excuse to come up with a flying garbage truck concept, but it might also exercise some of the overwhelming excitement of today’s pick-up out of his system.
Now that I’m thinking about it, it’s not a bad idea for a kids party venue – indoor play centres in Sydney would have to be competitive in that market. The appeal is something about the fact that the place doesn’t really have a set theme, like fairies or whatnot. From what the dad at playgroup was saying about it, this particular place is more of a blank slate for kids to project their own personal play themes onto. In as far as it’s possible to work characters who are essentially humanoid garbage trucks onto a multi-level climbing frame, of course.
I think Godfrey will be a great storyteller when he’s a bit older. I mean, he is already; it’s just that most of his tales are punctuated by an overpowering urge to run to the balcony to check on the garbage bins. All I can say is that I hope his next imaginative obsession is something I’m more inclined to get down with, like dinosaurs.