Girls the world over like to jump rope, but in urban one child families, the game must be arranged differently, for there are no siblings to participate by turning ropes. Dianyu Zhang's daughter plays jump rope in her parents' apartment by leaping over strings tied to heavy chairs.
She enjoys working with playdough, like many of our own children, but of course the objects she creates reflect her culture.
Following Chinese custom, Joe and I are called "grandpa" and "grandma"by our Chinese friends' children. These titles are markers of intimacy and closeness. This was disconcerting at first, for in America, calling an unrelated woman "grandma" is not exactly a sign of respect. But it's different here. When Dianyu told his daughter I was "grandma," she immediately invited me to play with her. Between her primary school English and my emergent Chinese, we understood each other.
Dianyu's daughter playing solitaire jump rope
Play reflects culture:
Using playdough, we created a complete dinner plate: Several varieties of Chinese dumplings, rice, rice bowls, chopsticks, and shouzi (Chinese soup spoons).
3 comments:
why aren't you jumping rope?
oh yah, where are her friends to jump rope with?
I would never recommend parents to only have one child. I know in China, it must be that way, but being an only child myself, it's not fun.
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