Sempi and I are playing with a marble run game. I just built a pretty complex structure. I was quite proud of my creation. Me: Sempi, look at this run that I built. Is it pretty cool or is it pretty cool? Sempi: Appa, pretty cool and pretty cool are the same thing. Tread carefully when fishing for compliments from a toddler.

Sempi and I are at the swap n' play (an indoor play area). He’s playing with a crane toy and I’m sitting on a chair staring at my phone. He deicides to rescue me from my boredom and brings three dinosaur toys to me and says “Appa, here, play with me”. So I join him at the table with three dinosaurs. Here’s the ensuing conversation: Me: Here’s a Triceratops, it says, “Woof, Woof”....

This is a continuation of our previous story. Sempi and I are still at the Swap n Play. He’s still playing with his cranes and trucks and I’m still playing with three dinosaurs. Sempi: Appa my crane is going to help build a fence around the dinosaurs. Me: Oh yeah? Sempi: Yeah people can come and milk the dinosaurs. Me: Milk the dinosaurs? Sempi: Yeah, like milking a cow, they can milk a dinosaur and drink it....

A good friend of mine sent me this article after reading my previous ramble. Here are some choice snippets from that article that resonated with me. Values not Rules: Focus on teaching values than rules. Instead of, “Here’s the list of things that you’re allowed to do and not to do,” say, “Here are the principles that are important in this family, and let’s talk about how you want to express them....

Sempi and I are playing with Legos. I’m building a small mars rover for him, which he has tasked me to redo for the fifth time because it didn’t quite measure up to his satisfaction. In a desperate attempt to impress him, I started building yet again. I noticed I only had one of the 6 hole blocks and needed a matching pair to finish my model. I asked Sempi if he could find me the matching pair....