Like Bill Cosby, we tell the child to take a lap
Does your house have a built-in racetrack?
I’m not talking about an actual jogging track - but if you do have one of those, I’m guessing you also have an indoor pool and weight room and a subzero filled with chardonnay and I’d like to be your best friend.
I’m talking about the circular path found in lots of houses and apartments that lends itself nicely to a good game of chase.
The path in our New Jersey apartment was a little awkward, but it worked. It ran through the kitchen, the dining “room”, and the living room. You had to take sharp corners and watch out for the bookshelf, high chair, and futon, but that’s easy for toddlers. Not so easy for adults.
Tacy began running the circuit as soon as she could run, enticing Kyle to chase behind her, threatening to pinch her boom. I assumed the role of “base”. If she made it over to me, she was safe from the boom-pinching. But then she’d take off again, and the game would start again. We’d all laugh like maniacs, and Tacy would wear herself out. Talk about great family time!
Our house here in Colorado has an even more advantageously-designed racetrack. It runs through the kitchen, the dining room (which is actually a room here), and the front hall. It can be extended somewhat by running through the family room as well, stopping to bounce on the mini-trampoline. Best of all, there are no obstacles.
No obstacles because we don’t yet have a dining room table. We discussed buying one, and I reminded Kyle that it would be the end of the laps. He countered that we could push the table into the corner of the room and stack the chairs. At that suggestion, my eyes rolled so far back into their sockets that I thought I might need medical attention.
Tacy still loves to race around the house. Not only do we still play the boom-pinching game, she’ll do laps simply for the fun of it while she’s waiting for her peas to cook or the ice cream to soften. We’ll count her laps and cheer her on.
CJ loves to run the circuit too, both while playing the boom-pinching game and while running away from whomever is chasing her with a diaper or shoes or a hairbrush. She and I did at least a dozen laps just this morning - I waved a pair of shoes at her, and she looked over her shoulder at me and giggled. She also likes to run down the slide (why go down sitting on your boom when you can risk life and limb by running down instead?) and do a lap, over and over.
Although all four of us play the boom-pinching game together, I have a special game that I play with the girls. I sit against the wall in the dining room, and they stand at the front door. I count - first in English, then in Spanish, then in French, then in Japanese - “One…two…three…get your mama!” They both race over to me for hugs and kisses, and we usually repeat the game until someone crashes into someone else and the tears start. But that doesn’t stop them from wanting to play again the next time.
Our family time is no doubt a bit unusual, especially among those of us who grew up with the “no running in the house!” rule. But it’s a great way to get us all off the sofa and giggling together, rain or shine.
This post is brought to you in conjunction with Parent Bloggers Network & EA’s Wii-Boogie, a family gaming experience. Shake it. Sing it. Create it.
————————————
If you want more insight into the inner workings of our crazy family, please check out our joint review of “Fathering Your School-Age Child” by Mr. Dad, Armin Brott. It’s over at my reviews site - Do as I say…and no one gets hurt.
August 10th, 2007 at 11:05 am
[...] Like Bill Cosby, We Tell the Child To Take A Lap [...]
August 10th, 2007 at 11:20 am
Our house has a circular floor plan, too, and we’ve done much chasing around through the kitchen, the living room, and the dining room.
Only it’s for fun about half of the time. The other half of the time we’re chasing her down for a diaper change. She’s fast, and tricky when it comes to changing direction.
August 10th, 2007 at 11:56 am
We have a clearly defined “lap” in our house as well. Ben will start running it when we have company and he can’t suppress his excitement. When we say “Come here,” that’s also his cue to start running. I’ll hide around one corner while Daddy hides around another, and we yell “Boo” or “Gotcha” at him when he passes, and then we tackle him and it turns into a giggle/tickle party. It’s cute and all, but sometimes we’d really like him to “Come here” and put on his shoes, get his diaper changed, brush his teeth, etc.
August 10th, 2007 at 1:34 pm
Way to stand up for the SPONTANEOUS game of boom-pinch-chase.
If I had to move furniture it wouldn’t happen either - which is the EXACT reason we do NOT have a coffee table.
August 10th, 2007 at 1:47 pm
the folks i used to nanny for had a great “track” in their house. although one day, i fell really hard coming around a turn, and then dylan and i had a talk about why it’s not a good idea to run in the house.
August 10th, 2007 at 9:57 pm
lol - the dog set up our racetrack shortly after we moved in. The Magpie has a track in her bedroom, but we’re waiting for full mobility to kick in and see what wear patterns develop in our flooring
how on earth did anyone ever actually enforce the no running rules??
August 11th, 2007 at 12:21 am
we run our circuit alot. I have a co worker who won’t buy a house if it doesn’t have a proper circuit.
August 11th, 2007 at 7:54 pm
We have a kitchen/livingroom/fronthall/diningroom circuit, the most tricky part being if shoes are left in the front hall or the piano bench is left out (I can show you those bruises) Usually the chase involves a puppet. Why run outside in the southern heat and humidity when you can run inside with air conditioning?
August 12th, 2007 at 12:09 pm
We just encouraged a round of lap-running earlier today. If we’re feeling extra-frisky we try to get the dog to join in too. THen the kids really have to book it.
August 20th, 2007 at 5:38 am
I left the UK and moved back to Australia precisely so I have could have a house you could run ‘around’ in! I now know its called a circuit
My own earliest memories are of my dad chasing me around the circuit in our first house in Australia. Its become fixed in my psyche in a kind of Freudian way I think.