Hide and Seek With a 4-Year-Old

Written by Alex on December 14, 2015 - 0 Comments

Our son is 4.  He loves to play hide and seek.  It’s one of his favorite games.  And, because he loves it, we love it.

Thing is, I’m not really sure what to make of the fact that when we play, he doesn’t hide all that well.  More specifically, he hides in plain sight.  Now, if he were a bit older, I’d think that maybe he was practicing to be a Ninja or a Navy SEAL, and he’s testing whether he can successfully blend into his environment like a stealth warrior.

But, he’s 4.  I don’t think he’s read Sun Tzu or done much Ninja training (other than playing with his Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtle action figures), so I have to chalk it up to something else.

I’m starting to think that he actually believes that when I close my eyes and count, he becomes cloaked in invisibility and disappears.

I can assure you he does not.  As soon as I open my eyes, I can see him. And, if there was ever a risk that I didn’t, the fact that he’s giggling makes it impossible to not find him instantly.  Yet, still he believes he is as invisible as the Invisible Man.  It’s such a strange juxtaposition—he’s sure he’s not there, but I can see him as plain as the nose on his face.  It reminds me of the character of Bert from Soap (look it up if you’re under the age of 45) or like an employee at customer service who really isn’t all that interested in serving customers.

Why doesn’t my son understand the simple physics of visibility?  He knows when he can’t see me, and he knows how to seek me out when I hide.  So why doesn’t he get that he’s supposed to do what I do?

Maybe it’s a test for me.  It’s his way of saying: “You know what?  I’m not gonna hide.  I’m gonna just sit here and see what you do.”

Or maybe he feels sorry for me.  Maybe he figures I’m too stupid to find him otherwise, and he doesn’t want to get bored while he’s hiding and waiting countless hours for me to smarten up and find him.

Honestly, I think it’s neither one of those things.  I think he just really thinks it’s hilarious to not go anywhere, to snub his nose at convention and do what he wants, not what he’s supposed to do.  Frankly, I envy that level of confidence and self-assuredness.  I wish I could do that.

 

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