My six-year-old is a collector, but not of dinky cars or hockey cards. He collects sticks. He?s always had an affinity for sticks, but as we?ve gone for more walks and had more opportunity to explore new territory in the past year, his propensity to collect has grown.
It?s not uncommon for him to grab a stick from his stash when we?re heading to the park or playing in our yard. Sometimes they act as walking sticks, sometimes they?re magic wands, sometimes they turn into weapons, but often, they’re just there, like a favourite stuffy or blanket. In fact, he smuggled one into bed one night.
One day, as I unpacked his backpack (earlier this year, back when in-person school was a thing), I found a stick tucked inside.
Me: Hey kiddo, I found a stick in your backpack. Him: What" Which one" What did it look like"
Me: It… looked like a stick"
Him: OK, yeah, but was it big or small, dark or light"
Me: It was a backpack-size, normal-looking stick.
Him (incredulous and slightly panicked): What did you do with it"
Me: I put it with your other sticks.
He ran outside to check the collection, and after doing a quick inventory, came back inside.
His collection initially took residence on our front porch. The longest stick was about five feet; the shortest about the length of his forearm. Anything shorter than that didn?t seem to qualify as worthy of the collection. Perhaps at that length, they are simply twigs, too fragile to serve any purpose"...