Tuesday, December 2, 2014

I Can Fly!



Riesling is OBSESSED with Peter Pan.  It's the funniest thing.  One day back in early September, she jumped up from the couch and started running up the stairs to her room.  "I need to find a green shirt and pants so I can be Peter Pan!"  At that moment I had no idea how she even knew who Peter Pan was, but it was obvious by the very serious gaze straight into my eyes when making the request that this was a real and immediate need for this 2 year old. No time for questions.  Get this girl a green outfit pronto! Somehow I was able to round up a pair of greenish leggings and a shirt and Peter Pan was born.

 watching YouTube clip of 'I can Fly'

It turns out that we have a Peter Pan record, which is how the whole thing started.  It still amazes me that a few pictures on a record album cover and listening to it maybe twice sprung such an intense passion.  We then discovered that we actually have a version of the book in our hand-me-down stash, which I have now read at least a million times, and she most certainly has it memorized.

Her interest quickly grew.  The family was assigned accompanying roles:  Wyn is Tinkerbell, Daddy is John Darling, Mommy is Wendy, and Sofee dog is Nana the St. Bernard.  Don't even try to request a change in character.  And don't break role.  When Peter Pan is in the house she will answer to nothing else and she will only address us as our Peter Pan characters (just tonight she was 98% asleep and started mumbling for some water and addressed me as Wendy).   Jim continues to request a switch to Captain Hook but Peter Pan won't allow it because "he's kinda like the bad guy."

Her obsession led nicely into Halloween so we decided to do family themed costumes again(2013, 2012). Over the month of October Riesling continue to be Peter Pan on a regular basis, close to daily.  I started hunting for more green clothes, green foods, green green green.  I also slowly added pieces in to improve her costume, saving the hat and dagger for the very end.  The look on her face was priceless when she saw us all actually dress the parts.

John & Wendy Darling with Peter Pan and Tinkerbell

 "Second star to the right and straight on til morning"

 Tinkerbell


Halloween has come and gone but Peter Pan is here to stay.  It has branched off a bit into a love of the world of Tinkerbell and fairies, an appreciation for mermaids, and dabbling into Jack and the Neverland Pirates.  If it ties into Peter Pan she's interested.  The thing I love most about Riesling as Peter Pan is that it's truly something she loves for all of her own reasons.  

When she was about 10 months old someone gave her a Minnie Mouse doll, followed by several Minnie Mouse apparel items, accessories, cups, etc.  She liked Minnie Mouse but really because she didn't know much else.   She didn't watch cartoons or Tv and didn't have a lot of specific character toys, so Minnie (and puppy dogs) were her love.  But mostly because it was given to her.  Even now her runner up favorite thing is Elsa & Anna and all things Frozen.  I feel like that even stemmed from somewhere other than her own heart.  Her best friend next door had a ton of Frozen stuff that Riesling played with before she saw the movie and seeing the movie just seemed to place everything for her.  She does play Frozen, sing the songs, and dress up but not with the same consistency as she does with Peter Pan.  Elsa, along with all the other princesses, can be forgotten for extended periods, only to resurface when reminded by a trip next door to play with the neighbor girl, a girl at the library with a Cinderella shirt, or spotting Snow White on the book shelf.   

The best part is, she hasn't even seen the movie!  I'm not even sure she knows it exists.  I am desperately trying to find a decent priced copy of the DVD to give her for Christmas, which has been surprisingly difficulty.  I can just imagine her little face lighting up when she sees her Neverland world come to life on screen.  Or perhaps it will be a disappointment to the sweet little world she has created in her own mind.  Maybe I will just let it be. 


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