Lucy Bamboo 
Lucy Bamboo · July 18, 2026
She found a roly-poly bug on the back step this morning and spent — I am not exaggerating — twenty-two minutes with it. I was watching from the kitchen window, hands in dish soap, half-waiting for the moment she’d lose interest and come back inside asking for something. The moment never came. She crouched on … Read more
Lucy Bamboo · July 16, 2026
The puddle was approximately the size of a welcome mat and located directly at the end of our front path, where the concrete dips slightly and the rainwater likes to collect. Mara found it before I had fully registered that we were outside. One second she was beside me, hand in mine, and then she … Read more
Lucy Bamboo · July 15, 2026
My daughter is two. She is, right now, asleep in the next room with her stuffed elephant and approximately zero opinions about AI regulation. But a few weeks ago, a friend texted me a screenshot of her eight-year-old’s chat log with a companion chatbot — the kind that calls itself your best friend, remembers your … Read more
Lucy Bamboo · July 15, 2026
She was sitting in a patch of afternoon sun, talking to a wooden spoon. The spoon was named Gerald. Gerald had opinions about the dog next door and strong feelings about applesauce. I stood in the kitchen doorway for probably three full minutes just watching her build an entire world out of nothing — no … Read more
Lucy Bamboo · July 15, 2026
She found the old Bluetooth speaker on a shelf last Tuesday — the one we use for music, no assistant enabled — and said “Hello?” to it. Just like that, casually, the way you’d greet a person. Then she waited. I watched her face cycle through something: expectation, then confusion, then a small, philosophical shrug … Read more
Lucy Bamboo · July 14, 2026
She is standing in the middle of the living room holding a wooden spoon, and she has been standing there for almost three minutes. I know because I have been watching the clock on the microwave from the kitchen doorway, which is perhaps not a thing I should admit, but there it is. The spoon … Read more
Lucy Bamboo · July 13, 2026
Training chopsticks are two sticks connected at the top by a guide ring that holds them parallel, so your toddler can focus on the actual motor skill: the pinch-and-pivot motion. A few things worth checking before you buy: connector firmness (too loose and they’re fighting the tool), length (most toddler sets run 6–7 inches, good … Read more
Lucy Bamboo · July 12, 2026
The blocks had been on the floor for three days before she touched them. They sat in the corner of the living room where I had arranged them — hopefully, a little foolishly — into a low tower, an invitation. She walked past them to get to the laundry basket, which she was very interested … Read more
Lucy Bamboo · July 11, 2026
She was standing at my knee, holding a wooden spoon she had carried from the kitchen for reasons known only to her, and she was watching my face. Not asking for anything. Not making a sound. Just watching the light from my phone move across my eyes while I stood at the counter and scrolled … Read more
Lucy Bamboo · July 10, 2026
It’s 5:30. There’s an onion half-chopped, and the Paw Patrol theme song coming from the next room. My daughter is parked in front of it, three feet from the stove, and for the next thirty minutes I am going to get dinner made. I’ve written to you about wooden bears and muddy creeks. I’ve told … Read more
