Do you want to play with a "nail clipper"?

My 2-year-11-month-old son said.

"Mama, I want to play with a nail clipper!"

Huh? A nail clipper?

Is a nail clipper something you play with?

I looked to see if he wanted his nails cut, but
that didn't seem to be the case.

His nails weren't long either.

"I want to play with a nail clipper!"

He said it again, while
pointing toward the closet.

The nail clipper inside the closet...?

What could it be?

I thought for a moment, and finally understood.

Building blocks.

It wasn't a "nail clipper" (tsumekiri),

he wanted to play with "building blocks" (tsumiki).

When I took out the building blocks,

"It's Baikin Castle!"

he said, and started stacking them up one after another.

What he finished was Baikinman's castle.

Baikinman,
Dokin-chan,
Kokin-chan,
and Horrorman
all live there.

Until a little while ago,

You used to just tap the building blocks together,

or just stack them up high.

But now, you can take what's in your head
and turn it into a shape.

'Nail clippers.'

The day we laughed at that mishearing.

But the magnificent 'germ castle' you showed me after that
was a creation that made me feel how much you've grown.

It was a work that made me feel your growth🌿

It even has residents.