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Children in kindergarten usually love small animals and enjoy pretending to be different animals, as if it were a natural talent. They often invite their teachers to join them in animal role-playing games. As an adult teacher, it can be clumsy for us to play animals. I have personally experienced this.
When adults try to play animals, we often try to imagine their sense of smell, touch, and behavioural patterns, which ends up making us feel awkward. Children don't care about these things. They acquire these sensations through imitation, and in those moments, they seem unrestricted by the limitations of the human body. This exhilarating experience keeps them endlessly engaged in the game of animal role-playing.
If you have a pet, you must also be curious about its behaviour. Some people try to imitate certain behaviours of their pets, which may not help them understand the pets but are filled with amusement. You squat down, trying to see the world from its perspective and make scratching, crawling, jumping, and resting movements with your limbs.
On TikTok, there was once a viral hashtag called "ratgirlsummer," referring to young girls of this generation sometimes wanting to live in the city like rats: running around 24/7, snacking as they please, and going to places they've never been before.
This trend is fascinating. Young women are tired of being associated with rabbits or kittens and instead embrace chaos and a desire to run free. They want to represent themselves with rats, not because they want a strong connection with the animal world of rats, but because playing animals symbolizes running. They either want to escape society's established narratives or run towards their wild narratives.
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