Playing House
When young children "play house" they will act out real life situations they have witnessed. Sometimes it involves their parents arguing or the child arguing with a sibling or friend. Sometimes they take an incident in their own life where they felt they were unfairly treated. A child will act out all of the above with other children during play.
It's not necessary for the other children to know exactly where the problem arose - kids will usually go along because they have a similar event in their own lives.
One of the favorite scenarios is children taking on the job of the parents and acting out the roles of mothers and fathers. Sometimes they play school with one child pretending to be the teacher and the rest pretending to be students.
It can be a sobering feeling when you observe your students using you as their teacher model. You can also learn a lot about what not to do in the future. Children are often brutally honest during this type of play because it's about them and not you or any other adult. They feel free to express themselves.
I've seen children role-play their parents and have been brought to tears - other times I had to muffle my laughter. Your child will tell on you during role-play. Sometimes it's funny. Sometimes it's tragic.
Children playing together in this manner are learning conflict resolution. Those toy kitchens serve a greater purpose than most people realize when children play together preparing their pretend meals in their pretend home. Same with all the work/play stations designed for children.
The children learn to talk out their feelings. They learn how to resolve conflicts and to temper their own behavior. They gain understanding of others and why people behave the way they do.
Children who take on the role of the parent or adult figure will address their own bad habits and behavior through role-play by recognizing themselves in the behavior of the other children. They will also expose the bad (and good) habits of the adult they are emulating.
If you ever have the chance - sit back and quietly watch them play. Step in only if things are becoming too heated - which can and does happen. Some children will demand everyone play their way. Otherwise, trust the children.
It's a learning tool and one that benefits a young child in their overall development.
Donald Trump is playing White House, pretending to be president, but without the natural curiosity and the desire to learn. He's not interested in conflict resolution so much as demanding others play his way - or else. He is obviously role-playing and, equally as obvious, Trump is dealing with unresolved past issues - but he wants those closest to him, and the rest of us, to pretend all is well in his house.
That everything he does is done bigly. That in his big white playhouse life is great and tremendous. Trump has to be in charge and he needs to control the play of others. Otherwise, things will go bad - which for children usually means they will act out and disrupt playtime - ruining the experience for everyone.
Means the same for Trump, too.
It is a behavior that is undesirable in a child and in need of correction.
In a president it is a destructive behavior that requires far more than a few minutes time-out (or a change in optics).
Time-out is meant as a chance for a child to regain control of themselves after disruptive or bad behavior. It is a means of teaching self-discipline. Your behavior is in your control.
Trump would rather change perceptions by changing the optics, which is simply another form of controlling how everyone else plays. The disruptive child left unchecked is still determining what the game is and how it is played. Trump would rather the rest of us change how we feel about his bad behavior instead of him changing his bad behavior.
Trump needs adulation and obedience and not cooperation to feel good about himself. He's the child that wants to play a different game because things aren't going his way. And if he can't change the game then he wants to change the rules.
The disruptive child maintains control by forcing others to adapt to his bad behavior unless removed from the play area.
Trump needs to be removed from the play area. Period.
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