Purple Light

A while back on a walk with my in-laws, my mother in-law taught my son "red light, green light".  I think I had tried to teach him this earlier as a game, but at the age he was at, and in the context of trying to get him to stay with you when we were walking, it worked great.  He could get a green light to run in places where it was safe, yellow light near driveways or if he was getting too far ahead and a red light for obvious reasons.

 We had been using this "technique" for a while on family walks and it worked well for a bit, but then I think he got bored with it.  I started to let him yell out the commands to us (which did give my husband and I a bit of exercise) and added in a new command, "Purple Light".  "Red light" just wasn't interesting enough for my son, so "Purple Light" means stop whatever you are doing and run as fast as you can to the other and give him a hug.  It brings joy to us to have him stop and run and hug us, but I think it brings me even more joy when he wants me stop and run and hug him.  I hope "Purple Light" will continue to be popular with my son for a long time.  Alas, kids grow too fast, but I think hugs never get too old...