playing with dolls

So I'm home with Natalie today because she has been diagnosed with Influenza A. Oh fun. Anyway, I thought I would take this time i have on my hands to blog a bit.

Yesterday Natalie and I were playing with dolls. When I was little my sister and I would always play dolls the traditional way. Of course there would be teenagers with boyfriends, etc, but there was always a mom, a dad, and the children. I noticed that Natalie does not play that way. I'm starting to realize how psychologists and counselors can use play therapy for kids. Natalie mirrors the world as she knows it through her dolls.

The dolls world went something like this....
Eric (the doll from the little mermaid) was married to Cinderella. They had three kids. One was tinkerbell, another some blonde doll, and a Dora doll. So Eric and Cinderella wanted to go out on a date. They talked about how they needed a babysitter. Eric said, "well we need someone to watch your kids and someone to watch my daughter that I got from Ariel when I was married to her." (Natalie is playing Eric) So then Eric calls Ariel and asks her if she can come and watch the kids so she does. Ariel then wants to kiss Eric when he comes home from his date but Eric says that he is with Cinderella now and he can't.
Wow! I couldn't believe that Natalie acted out this scenerio instead of just playing a mom, dad, and kids. I don't think in my world as a little girl I would have conceived of this possibility for my play.

Then this morning Natalie was teasing me about me not being a grown up. I said to her, "How am I living by myself then with my little girl if I'm a kid?"
Natalie said, "Well its because you don't have a boyfriend."
Oh boy, life in Natalie's world is so confusing! How can I explain to her the way God intended family to be? How do I explain why her world isn't like that? Geez! I just pray that she will end up having a healthy view of relationships when she is older. I hope her experiences now won't scar her for life! Maybe I just worry too much....