Let's Pretend

(I wish I had a photo of Iris holding all 6 of her baby dolls at once, arms outstretched and barely reaching around them all, to share with you here).

Iris' imagination is enormous. It is downright exhausting to try to keep up with her. The gears start turning the moment she wakes up and they don't take a break till bedtime.
"Let's pretend I'm the mommy, and you are the kid, and these are all your sisters," (that's a popular one right now), "and we are going to have a birthday party for them," (also a popular choice), "and it's a surprise."
"Let's pretend I can't really hop on one foot, but I actually can, so let's pretend I can't."
"Let's pretend you didn't actually see me and you didn't know I came downstairs."
"Let's pretend this cucumber is poison and you have to come give me true love's kiss to wake me up" (yes, even mealtime is not excluded from pretend play).
"Let's pretend I'm in the ocean and you are *mumble mumble* and then we have to *inaudible* but you really can't, so you have to *something something* and we have to pretend to *what?* until the monster comes and we have to chase it, okay?"

When in doubt, I respond with "Uh-huh".

Oftentimes, to convince her that I am pretending right along with her, all she wants is to hear me repeat what she just said back to her. Setting the scene, if you will, and making it mine.

Sometimes, if I decide to really play it up, it throws her off. Like when I am playing the role of The Kid a little too well, ("Mommy, I'm tired and hungry. You need to clean my room because I don't know how") she feels she needs to remind me that it's just a game ("Actually we are just pretending. You are really the mommy and I'm just a little kid. You are a grown-up").

This cracks me up.

Honestly, though, I am really tired of playing pretend. It's rare for her to talk to me without opening with, "Let's pretend..." I'm not exaggerating when I say the majority of the day, I am not "Mommy" and Iris is not "Iris" in her mind. Today, as I was pushing Asher in the swing before dinner (Iris had assigned herself the role of the mommy, I was the baby sister, and Asher was the daddy), I literally asked her if we could just be ourselves spending time together for a few minutes.

I know I shouldn't take it personally, but it pains me to think that in her mind, just being Iris, Mommy, and Asher playing together in the back yard is not enough for her!

I'm trying to enjoy this phase, because I know it won't last and some day she'd rather do anything but play with her mother. I am trying to soak up these days where I am still a rockstar in her mind (even if I have to be pretending to be her daughter in a fishing boat in shark infested waters). But right now, I seriously need a break!