Adventures in Toddling

Julia loves her rings-on-a-pole toy. We love it, too; it’s quiet and will entertain her for thirty minutes at a time (forever in toddler time… thanks, Uncle Neil!). She takes all the rings off and puts them back on in different orders, or stacks them off the pole, or arranges them very carefully on the floor around her.

It reinforces what we’ve always believed: kids can entertain themselves with the simplest things. What is she thinking when she plays with that toy? Could she be experimenting in order to create an engineering/architectural masterpiece? (‘As you can see, the out-of-order configuration of the rings conveys the existential fragility of the human condition.’) Attempting to figure out, through brute force, the number of possible ring combinations? Completing a semi-imaginary Towers of Hanoi puzzle? Making performance art? (‘As you can see, the passage of the rings between the post, hand, floor, and table conveys the existential fragility of the human condition.’) Creating a sculpture? (‘The contrast between the edible Cheerios and the large plastic fake Cheerios clearly conveys the existential fragility of the human condition.’)

Babies are very philosophical.