Every parent thinks their child is amazing, and I’m no exception.  How many parents do you know who can proudly say that their 2 year-old already knows what she wants to be when she grows up, down to the intricate details?  I’m sure not very many, and of those kids who have decided at this age, they probably tend towards jobs anyone can do, like become a movie star or the president.  However, not everyone can proudly state, like I can, that my daughter has decided that she wants to be a meat sandwich when she grows up, and that when asked to elaborate she proudly states “A pork sandwich!  With cinnamon on top!”  I have a hunch that her career aspirations are closely linked to her passions for creating and consuming food.  However, in many other ways she’s a normal kid, and has loved living at the Southern tip of the world, concurrently learning Spanish and English, and playing with anything and everything she encounters.

A Flower, A Rock, Classic Toys for Little Hands

We don’t have many traditional toys in the house, and as a result, my daughter likes to transform everyday things into toys.  When leaves from green onions and pineapples become magic wands, sunglasses make you a movie star or a super-hero, and paper towel rolls are megaphones, entertainment is simple.  I cannot even count the number of hours she has entertained herself both counting and finding different uses for pony tail holders, which apparently make very fashionable bracelets, especially when they’re pink and shiny.  However much fun we have at home, there are always more adventures awaiting at either the local cafe or park.

My toddler, like most, would be perfectly content to spend all day, every day going down slides, as long as there were food breaks, that is!  While we have several parks to choose from, the family’s favorite is Parque Savaal on Isla Teja, although there are several others that we’re curious to explore.  Parque Savaal charges admission of 80 cents/adult, and has 11 hectares of swamps complete with frogs and lily pads, a sculpture garden, picnic areas with shade and BBQ pits, and enough swings and slides to keep any child happy.  My husband and I are entertained by watching tourists climb and take silly pictures on the sculptures, especially the flimsy-looking metallic horse, and enjoy the serenity of the frogs’ chatter.

A Friendly Frog in Parque Savaal

On the plentiful rainy days, we like to head to a cafe with toys.  One of our favorites is Cafe Philippi, which is tucked away behind a museum inside of a park.  They are a bit of a retreat, serving items I really enjoy like tasty vegetarian lunches, loose-leaf teas, oatmeal cookies, and even chai tea lattes.  Their wifi is spotty, though they have plenty of magazines to compensate and a big green crate full of toys, enough to keep several toddlers happy.  And when toddlers are happily drawing, pretending to cook corn, or playing with the toy trucks, moms are happy too.  My little girl, always one to make herself at home, will ask the servers about the toys as she makes her way behind the counter towards the green crate.  The owners and servers are friendly, my daughter has a favorite (and surprisingly, he didn’t even need to give her food to earn the title!), and on warm days we can linger over the outside tables near the garden, the sea-saw, and the shy-but-friendly dog.

One of the best things about living in Chile is the focus on the family, which translates into a plenitude of parks and cafes with a children’s play areas.  The general rule seems to be that children are welcome anywhere except in places where expats outnumber locals!  When bringing kids to a cafe or restaurant, they are treated like VIPs, and many restaurants and even breweries have children’s play areas, which makes it easy for parents and kids to enjoy quality family time together.  Being able to comfortably bring our daughter with us, wherever we go, means more time for playing, which really is one of the reasons we decided to settle down in the beautiful town of Valdivia.