JACOB And ME PLAY ARMY

IN THE BEGINNING,      THE BOARD'S THE BATTLEFIELD

It's the end of October and 6 y.o. Jacob, grandson, has slowly discovered that I have army men.  At home he remembered and packed his own in his backpack, which he calls packpack.

"I'm gonna take all of your men down and you're dead!"

He's serious about his play!

He and sister sometimes sit with me at church. 

Into church he lugged his packpack when my nephew-in-law said, "Pam, he's got 15 pounds iof army men in there!"

Alarm bells!  Oh, no-o-o-o-o, internally my mind was carrying on a fast conversation and forseeing the future and it wasn't good, it was fulll of noises - loud firings, helicopter whirrs, "Shush!" from GrammyPam, and mom clip-clopping down the aisle to quiet her son.  

This wasn't to be!

We came to an understanding.  We play army men at home.  At church we color and draw.

Mine. Puny.

  Closeup of his!

At my house he sets the stage.

"I will set them back up if you shoot mine down."

"This is a flame thrower, he's the roughest."

"I will win all through the ages!"

All through the ages ?! what 6 y.o. says that!

That was one of our first army men play dates.  

This play date was the latest.  Note the rows of them on top of the piano!

What the heck!

How am I supposed to win against all of that, besides he has his own rules that ensure he's the heavy!

I said, "You put your army men on MY piano!"

He says, "YES! I'm gonna shoot you down!"

It's not long, though, 'til his age shows itself more urgently.  

"More 'baghettees.  Yah, yah, hungry, hungry."

The heat is off the battlefield, and onto the stove for noodles.

Play is tiring and makes a boy hungry, a hungry army man!