Swordplay

It seems like one evolutionary path of boys is to start with dirt and rocks, move on to trucks and trains, then ball games, and then superheroes and weaponry. I imagine some or all of these pursuits last well into adulthood but since our boys are still under age 5 I can only talk about their particular interests at this point in time, as "little boys"!

Ronan has always been our sweet, sensitive warrior. Oxymoron, perhaps, but it really does fit him well. There's a side of him that is affectionate, tender, and easily saddened. And there's a side of him that is magnetically drawn to superhero powers, supreme strength, and the alluring (testosterone-driven? :-) world of weapons.

His weapon of choice for the past year has been swords. He played with his first sword (a plastic pirate sword) with such vigor and love that it fell to pieces. He has since gotten a replacement pirate sword, a dashing wooden sword with matching shield, and a green sword that emanates bubbles. He also makes paper swords and lightsabers which he uses to great effect. Our house is awash in swords of all shapes and sizes!

Where he learned his swordplay is unknown to us but he seems quite deft in his actions. He has yet to whack his brother or break anything valuable (thank goodness!), but we do keep a close eye on him when he's playing pirate or fairytale prince -- and we actually prefer the relative "elegance" of swords to the bluntness of guns, which I'm sure is just around the corner...