The big bad wolf ain't so bad...

For quite some time, Helena has been concerned with the Big Bad Wolf.  At first, she was scared, then more generally interested, and now... well, here's what happened today:

Rita was at a conference on indigenous education in Brazilian universities, so Helena and I made our way to a little playground close to where she was meeting.  After a long time on the swing and a couple of runs up and down the slide and jungle gym, she yelled, half in jest half seriously, "Big Bad Wolf, Big Bad Wolf!  Hide, Daddy!"  We ran under the jungle gym and peeked out the slats between the ladder.  "He's coming, Daddy.  Look how big he is!"

"What's the Wolf doing, Helena?" I asked her.

"Coming closer, closer... He just got on the swing!  He loves to swing, too!"

Without a pause, she ran back into the playground and started to push the sing.  "He doesn't swing well.  But I can push him."  She pushed the empty swing back and forth.

For no clear reason, she ran back under the jungle gym and looked out at the imaginary wolf through the slats.  After a time, "Oh, he hurt himself.  Daddy, let's go help."

By the end of a couple of minutes of nursing, Helena was kissing the imaginary wolf and telling him that he should go back to have lunch with his mommy.

I'm not sure what any of this means, but it does strike me as an important change!