I loved to indulge Max's imagination and from the age of about three we had a game which we played while he had a bath. I had two characters called the Crawling Crab and the Dancing Lobster. They were represented by each of my hands. Max had a plastic penguin which he christened Peter. There were many other characters which were introduced incidentally into the stories that evolved. There were the evil sharks which involved his hand trying to chase mine as the sharks chased the Lobster or Crab. These characters talked about their lives and how they felt and many bath times developed into intricate stories.
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I also used to invent stories at bedtime. I would encourage Max to invent characters for the ongoing story and then would start by stringing the characters together in some fantastical fairytale situation. At first he found it difficult to understand how to play. He was delighted when he realised that anything was possible and that he could turn the story anyway he wanted. The stories contained Crab Burglars, Wicked Dinosaurs, Princes and Princesses, ostriches, animated objects and any character that we could imagine on the spur of the moment. We would continue for about half an hour before I would have to draw the story to a close or agree to continue the next night.
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When Max was a toddler there was another game which we had when we shared a bath together. This was the Vidian Armchair game. The name Vidian came from video and started when he was very young and became confused over names. This game involved him leaning against my knees in the bath. This was the Vidian Armchair. Like the chair in ‘Jim'll Fix It’, this armchair had mysterious but imaginary buttons on it. If one was pressed then anything could happen, and usually did. Max would press the imaginary button and waited with eager anticipation to see what would happen next. Generally, it would involve some manic movement by me, a shaking of an arm or leg, a strange noise, or whatever came to mind at the time he pressed the button. Max loved the ultimate in the Vidian game which was when I dropped my knees and he suddenly slid into the water with shrieks and peals of laughter.
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The game was extremely repetitive as is common with young children but it never lost its attraction and the giggles which poured forth with each new action were a joy to listen to.
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Max had had a problem with bedwetting before his leukaemia. Given that he was four years old we were worried that it might be physical or caused by emotional problems. After seeking medical help neither was thought to be the case and we persevered in trying to solve the problem. It resulted in the endless changing of sheets and sleepless nights. Just before he was diagnosed with leukaemia the bedwetting stopped. Everyone was elated. The bedwetting returned after diagnosis and continued for another two years.
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