Source: Gemini AI
I had this kid that would always try to build a house using some of these plastic blocks. Every time these blocks were destroyed by her dad or her brother, she gets really, really annoyed. Sometimes, I try to rebuild it, but I end up with the same issue. "No, no, mummy, no…" she would say that as if she was really annoyed with me. She wants to build it herself, and what does that tell me?
It tells me that she has the right to demolish that house, no one else. She always tries to proclaim ownership of that house by building it herself. It's about agency, not the object: The house itself is secondary. The primary need is for her own agency—her power to create, control, and yes, destroy on her own terms. Her annoyance isn't just about the destroyed tower; it's about the violation of her creative process and her ownership of it. Only a true mother knows that a child derives strength from rebuilding the house. The child once crawled, then the child begins to stand and fall. What is he gaining? Strength. Watching a child from day one up to adulthood is no big deal, I tell you.
Great mother! Kudos to you.