Who knew that Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles would make a comeback? It certainly caught me by surprise. Michael, my 3 year old grandson,  enjoys his turtles. He has all of the weapons imaginable. I know, we played with them.

Mom decided that the toy box needed to be sorted. One pile was to be donated and the other was to keep.This lead to an inspection of all the items in the toy box. It is amazing to watch a 3 year old reminisce about things.

“These are legos for babies. I have real legos now. Donate.” he said. The item was a bigger plastic lego and easier for small hands beginning to  explore building to manipulate. I guess he has somewhat mastered this skill.

“This is Blades, he is a rescue bot. Keep”. Michael directed. He enjoys playing with his Rescue Bots and Transformers. Another toy I remember from when my kids were young.

On the sorting went. Save, donate, donate, save. He came upon his Ninja weapons. Distraction. Or as my friend says “Squirrel”. I think it is in reference to a movie or commercial where a dog is dutifully playing with his owner but is seriously distracted when a squirrel passes by. So, shouting ‘Squirrel’ means all bets are off and who knows where things are going. Most assuredly, not in the direction that was planned.

 “Let’s play swords GiGi.” Michael handed me a hatchet looking thing. “This is yours.” He said,  then picked up a sword and a long bar looking thing. “These are mine.”

Michael was trying to put them into the back of his shirt. “Here, let me help you. You want them back here?” I asked while I slid them down the back of his shirt. One on each side. He could grab one with each hand.

I was then instructed to go to a clear area of the living room for our ‘fight’. There I stood, rubber hatchet in hand, waiting for the turtle attack.

 “HIYA!!!” Michael yelled as he jumped in front of me. He took a pose similar to an actual Karate stance and simultaneously pulled the weapons from his shirt.

Wow, where did he learn this stuff? I replied ‘En Garde’  and struck my own pose. We exchange some ‘sword’ play. Michael does a couple of spins and fencing moves. More ‘hiya and haha’s’ ensue until it’s time for a break. I put the weapons back in his shirt.

He goes back to the toy box  and sorting. Each pile is growing and the toy box is getting empty. The donate pile is larger than the keep pile. I wonder, does Michael think that if there is more room in the toy box, he’ll get more toys. Ah, the mind of a 3 year old.

Toy sorting finished it’s back to more ‘fighting’. From that day forward, while I was town, Michael would go get the weapons from the toy box, ask me to put them in his shirt and the fighting would commence. Sometimes, briefly, I would be given the opportunity to use the sword and Michael the hatchet. Wouldn’t last long though as the hatchet is too hard to fit in his shirt and the handle too short for him to grab. GiGi is the ‘hatchet queen’.

Keep an eye out for a little guy with weapons in his shirt. He’s ready to defend his territory. “HiYa!”