From the vault

Sometimes, when I'm talking to my mother about my childhood, I realize that I was always an interesting kid.

I mean, all issues of playing the "Inner City Drug Dealing" game with the neighbour kids aside..

and when I would set up a fake psychologist's office in our living room, and try to cure my mother of ridiculous phobias I told her she had..

My mother was telling me a story about those indoor playground fun groups they had for little kids.

Like there would be lots of toys, pedal cars and stuff, and all the stay at home moms would bring their toddlers there to play.

I didn't go often. I wasn't the most social kid when I was young, and generally kept to myself.

Apparently one day I really didn't want to deal with anyone, because my mother brought me to the play group, set me free, and I promptly found myself one of those plastic turtle sandboxes.

Y'know, round and green, and the turtle shell was the lid?

Scene:

Young Larissa, 2 years old, with 20 of her toddler comrads playing in a room filled with deightful toys!

Larissa steps away from her mother,

she looks around, take in the surroundings.. and... A SAND BOX.

But there's no sand in it, its just a beautiful empty turtle sandbox!

What on earth could I do with this? Perhaps innitiate a game of hide and seek? Maybe pretend its a boat? A car?

Nein.

I open the lid, climb inside, close the lid, and stay there.

For 2 hours.

And when my mother tried to get me out, Larissa, do you want to play with the other kids?

No thanks ma'am, I'm just going to scream a little, and close the lid to my sandbox again, IF YOU DON'T MIND.

TWO HOURS?

Report card: Does not play well with others.