Collecting Chestnuts
I saw you again this week! It was so awesome! You came promptly at our scheduled time and this time you brought a few of your favorite things. The weather was perfect, with an autumn chill in the air that requires a light jacket but is somehow pleasant. When you first came through the door you asked me if we could watch Paw Patrol, and I asked you if it would be okay if we did this at the end of our visit. You seemed fine with this. We instead started out by racing cars around the living room, with you beating me every time. I am simply no match for your driving abilities. At some point you decided you wanted an afternoon snack. I showed you everything I had and you opted for the cookie müsli, and who wouldn’t? It’s chocolatey, buttery, crunchy, and filling.
I made you a bowl and also gave you a glass of apple juice. I offered you Apfelschorle with bubbly water but you were adamant about only wanting the juice. I poured myself a cup of coffee and sat beside you at the table as you cheerfully munched away. When your eye caught my coffee you proceeded to let me know how unhealthy coffee is and why I should stop drinking it. At this point the lady on the couch chimed in and challenged your coffee claims. She said that coffee wasn’t really that unhealthy and that there were many other things that were much more unhealthy. You listened intently and munched and finally mentioned that you still thought coffee was bad and that was that.
After finishing your meal you asked if we could take a walk to the big slide down the hill. I said of course, even though the lady in the corner wondered out loud if there would be enough time to make the slide visit and come back. She seemed convinced by our conviction that there would indeed be enough time and we put on our coats and boots. I offered you some small assistance with your coat zipper and little boot zippers but otherwise you did everything on your own. You are already so independent.
I took a little while longer tying my shoes than you and the lady so you asked if you could already walk ahead. I said of course and you proceeded to walk out the door and make your way down the street. I followed after, but apparently too slow because at some point you called after me and told me to speed up. We made it to the slide rather quickly and as we were walking up the hill towards the ladder you saw the chestnuts nestled in the grass. You then proceeded to collect chestnuts, occasionally asking me for help in order to fit them in your jacket pocket. After gathering chestnuts for a while, you showed me how you could not only slide down the slide, but walk up it as well.
You seemed to be quite proud of this skill and why not? It was super cool and I can’t say that I would have had the courage to do such a thing on such a tall slide when I was your age. It was so good to see you smile and laugh. It seemed that for this moment we were normal, and that this was just an average Thursday autumn afternoon. I then showed you that you could also throw chestnuts down the slide and this amused both me and you, and we watched them launch from the slide into the street and roll quite far away.
Things got even better when your friend showed up. He was super excited to see you and was not shy at all about introducing himself to me. He told me his name, or rather, all of his names. If I recall correctly he had five. Then together you continued collecting chestnuts and exploring the field by the slide. Eventually though, it was time to go back to my place and it seemed like your friend needed to go as well. I carried you back on my shoulders and helped you hang up your jacket, now heavy due to your impressive score of chestnuts.
As soon as we got inside you asked me again about Paw Patrol, and I said of course, as that was part of the deal. You asked for the episode with the fence, which we found after some short searching on YouTube. After the episode was over, we watched a video of a few garbage trucks picking up trash and then it was time for you to go. I helped put on your jacket and shoes and you took a few of your favorite toys with you out the door.