Have you ever noticed how children of differing ages play hide-and-seek differently? As children get older, they take pride in hiding well so that it takes the seeker a long time to discover them. The ultimate triumph is to hide so well that the seeker gives up and returns to base, calling for the hider to return. The hider comes in laughing, maybe offering up the hiding place, maybe explaining how the seeker had come so close she could hear his breathing. Or, perhaps the hider will refuse to share the hiding place, at all, saving it for a future game.
The game is different for the unsophisticated young. If base is the couch in the living room, the young child may not even leave the room to hide. Being out of sight is good enough. The child will close his eyes to make himself invisible. When the seeker calls, “Here I come, ready or not,” the young child squeals and suppresses the squealing. The young child wiggles and shivers with excitement as the seeker (already well aware of where the child is) walks around, speaking in mock loudness, “Are you under the carpet? Are you inside the flower pot?” The young child can contain himself no longer, “I’m here, behind the chair!” and pops up, full of joy to reveal himself. For the young child, the greatness of the game is being found. When did we forget that it is more wonderful to be found than to win?
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