Ready Or Not

Hide and Seek has been a learning process--for me and the little guy. Phase 1: Peek-a-Boo was the start. I hold his blanket in front of me and ask, "Where's Wyatt?" several times, then drop it to deep chuckles. If I could bottle that sound, the whole world would be happy! Phase 2: As his coordination improves, the little guy grabs the blanket and pulls it over his own head. I call, "Where's Wyatt?" and he gleefully pulls the blanket down. Sometimes he pulls himself over. That's even more fun. When it's not scary, that is. Phase 3: He crouches down behind the wing chair, which is an especially cute view from the back, since he's already much shorter than the chair. I call for him and ask the others if they've seen him. He pops out, delighted to have fooled me. Then he goes right back behind the chair and it starts all over. I was always glad I could sit down for this because he never tired of it. Phase 4: He wants to hide in different places. At first I need to help him pick a good spot. Then I walk around a bit and act very surprise to find him where I'd left him two minutes before. Phase 5: He can hide himself and knows to stay there until I find him. Unless I forget and ask, "Wyatt, where are you?" because, obliging little guy that he is, he'll jump right out saying, "Here I am!" Phase 6: He's happy to help others learn. In a playground he heard a dad, who was playing Hide and Seek with his daughter, say some random things as he started to look for her. Wyatt called to him, "You have to say: Ready or not, here I come!" The kind dad accepted the correction gracefully. Phase 7: He's getting the hang of numbers and likes to tell me which one to count to. I say, "How high should I count?" "Seven," he answers. "That won't take very long," I say. Pointing to the door next to me, he says, "I'm only going in the closet." I guess there will be a Phase 8 ...