I was under the covers with a laptop at my fingertips, when out of nowhere my son jumped onto the bed. It was nearly 9pm, well past bedtime, and he wore last year’s Halloween costume—the Hulk—with nothing on underneath.
“Look, Mom! I’ve grown! I’m getting SHO big! I’m almost as big as the Hulk! I think maybe I AM the Hulk!”
With great pride he showed me his muscles and then pulled the costume up to show off his bare belly. (“It’s SHO BIG!” he says, sticking it straight out.)
In that moment, I recognized the beautiful intersection of reality and fiction. He knows, on some level, that he is not the Hulk. But on another level, he believes he is.
He’s four and a half. The lines between truth and fiction are much blurrier for him than they are for me. And it is beautiful.
It makes me want to help him run with it. To hold on to that incredible imagination for as long as possible. It makes me want to read him stories about hidden doors, hold his hand while we venture into a dark beach cave, and sprint with him through a silent Christmas tree farm.
Instead of helping him see what is real, I want to dwell with him in what isn’t.
To think more about the intersection of truth and lies, watch this can’t-miss TED talk, which you better believe made my list of top resources for wholehearted women. In fact, it might just be my favorite TED ever.
Enjoy!
And to all the little kids out there who know they aren’t the Hulk and yet know they are, I believe in you!
Update! To see my other favorite TEDs of the year, check out this post: Best of TED 2014: 7 Amazing TED Talks for Purposeful Women.
Beautiful! This was such a sweet reminder to appreciate those wild imaginations. 🙂
Oh, I love this! We are so totally in the thick of this. The make-believe. The giggles. The pretend princess parties. We just had two “fairies” dancing around upstairs before bedtime. I know it will fade all too soon, so I love soaking up the preciousness while it is in full-effect. Beautiful post!