"Jaimito get ready its time to go the park!" Jaimito replies, " I’m ready Mami I got my power rangers spd sandals on, look they blink! Mami can I bring my guitar I want to practice it…. because I am bigger now and I have to practice…" For those who are parents or still remember being parents of a four year old, Jaimito is about to become four in a few days. Yesterday we bought him his much anticipated guitar and some informal sandals with lights. Since then, every 3 hours or so I am asked if he can play the guitar. The answer is always the same, no, not until your birthday on Saturday. The sandals were on his feet this morning at 9am and have only left his feet for his much argued nap. The bottom line is he single minded, persistent and behind it all a little boy full of hope and dreams.

We finally make it to the park – which thankfully is just across the street. None of our park friends have arrived but they surely will within a half hour or less. In the meantime I decide to play with Jaimito. I remember playing more with Olaia but less so with Jaimito. Today, Olaia is away and Jaimito is the center of action – except for Javier-s ocasional tease ….as he leans over the edge of the steps of the playground and playfully entertains throwing his 12month old body to the grass below.

So Jaimito what do you want to play. Mami I am the king and you are the monster, the dragon!

Excellent a boy with a plan, I think and play along. I suggest he stays running and playing around the playground set, it kind of has a castle-spaceship feel to it.

"OK but as you run around Jaimito I will try to get you by thowing the wiffle ball as a bomblet…. " We play on and the giggles abound. In the midst of it all I supervise Javier as he decides to go down the rolling pin slide on his belly. Each roller tickles him as he slides down, when the tickling is to much he arches his back and continues sliding down on crawling position.

We have settled into a fun rythm when suddenly in the distance I spot our first friends arriving. "Gaby do you want to play Kings and Dragons?"

" Yea thats my favorite game!" he replies.

"Gaby I am the King, my mommy is the Dragon and she throws bombs at us.

Who am I going to be? We agree he can be a knight, because knights in shining armors are warriors like samurais.

We resume playing and daredevil Baby watch. We have settled into a fun routine when suddenly more fun arrives. AJ, Eduardo! We explain the game and before roles are assigned I secure my segway " AJ you can play the fun part of being the Dragon.:" AJ agrees it sounds like fun and I join the other mums.

There is now a group of 4 boys laughing and running around the park. One has a plastic gun another picked up the wiffle bat as a sword and every so often I see Jaimito on the floor being tended to as part of some grand dramatic moment.

Finally it is tiem to go and I tell Jaimito so. Jaimito is again lying on the grass, playing dead. He is broken says Gaby to AJ. AJ stretches the strange plastic rope element from his gun acting sort of medical as he tries to fix my son so I can go. There he is fixed, says AJ. Good I interject. can I take him now. Jaimito has not moved. AJ ads, let me do something else. there is igood to go. Jaimito gets up and says an unenthusiastic Bye. Gaby raises his palm in a strange vulcan gesture Bye my friend and Jaimito corresponds. But then Jaimito sttretches his arms out and acts out a sudden chest movement. it looks like a sudden jerk or brief epileptic attack. I look on, confused. Then Gaby, without loosing a second says Oh yea right goodbye alien.

Jaimito is content that his alien identity has been acknowleded and so we turn around and leave.