The parent-child relationship has had an interesting week in our house.

Last Sunday, after some destructive behavior, Fuller’s punishment was to have all his toys taken away and boxed up… seriously. He was allowed his books, crayons, and coloring books/ papers. With his favorite toys (cars, trains, blocks) out of reach, some interesting developments occurred:

1) We found out exactly how much stuff our little three-year-old has accumulated – about 150 gallons, judging by the number of plastic storage bins needed.

2) Fuller turned to me for even more stimulation. I was able to use the time to focus in on some preschool workbooks I bought Fuller a few months back. He liked drawing with the wipe-off marker and was able to focus for about 30 minutes on one type of task. It gave me a good (positive) reading on future homeschool sessions.

3) Fuller’s imagination exploded. He likes to pretend even more and anything he can put his hands on becomes a prop. He demands to be called the name of whatever character he is- “Robot Fuller,” “Fuller Baby,” “Batman Fuller,” and “Speed Racer” have been favorites. I get the honor of being “Robot Mommy” and “Mommy Baby.”

4) Fuller will play with pretty much anything he can find. Damon made a joke about allowing Fuller to play with sticks and later that day, he was playing with a stick.

As the week has progressed, Fuller has received back several toys (Diego, his train, and a Batman mask). He was even given a new toy as D couldn’t resist buying Fuller this Speed Racer & Racer X Hotwheels car set.

He’s getting better about respecting toys, putting them away, and being nice to them. And as we start to give him more back, I hope his three year old brain will remember the lessons of this week: put away toys when done, be nice to your toys, and having the most toys does not mean you win.

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