Honey + Toast

I love to watch Greta learn make-believe. So when she hands me a magnet off of the fridge and looks at me like I'm to eat it, I start nibbling.
Most of our pretends around the house are food based. Her first pretend was to serve and sip "soup" out of stack able bath cups...."Mmmm Tasee*!" (And of course the parents went wild. "I'm sure she is a genius to be imagining so young!")
Then it was all about the tea set she got for Christmas.  Setting the places on the floor and pouring coffee and tea with a chipper "Ear go*!"
Today it was toast and honey. One of Greta's favorite things is honey. I don't know whether to blame the influence on Winnie the Pooh or not, but for her, honey is that spoonful of sugar that helps the medicine go down. When she grows tired of eating her food regardless of what it is, the last ditch effort on her part is to ask for some Honey on top. A little dab on her oatmeal or a make believe dab on her pasta and all of a sudden it's no longer slop.
So no wonder the concern when she had a very toothsome piece of toast made in China and nothing to help it go down?
Immediately we had a case of the pleading gimme gimmes for the sticky honey bottle. ( I really need to keep that bottle out of plain sight.) But mama ain't no fool, I pulled my first make believe wild card out of the Parent's Bag of Tricks.

Me:"Oh! That toast looks like it needs special make-believe honey!" (I try and put on a convincing face and look more trustful than I really am.)

G: Blank look.

Me: "Here it looks like it's all stuck to the bottom of the bottle, let me try squeezing some out for you."
(More convinced that this is not going to work, as I mime squeeze the bottle upside down. She is so not going to buy this.)  There! You can go ahead and take the whole bottle. (As I attempt to hand her air, I suddenly feel the full silliness of this illusion.)

G: She hesitates (I can hear the gentle whir of her processing this new idea of make-believing things she really would rather have in real life) and then to my surprise she takes it, brings it to her plastic toast, squeezes some on and rubs it on with her finger. And comes back for more. (Never mind that I totally gave her the whole bottle and that technically she is still in possession of it. A fact I overlook as I eventually hand out 6 more imaginary bottles of honey.)

I love how sometimes it's just the play that kids want...not necessarily the stuff.
I'm going to hang on to this Wild Card!

*Tasty
*Here you go!