Usually my 2nd (and most important) job of the day starts at 5:30 when I pick the children up from daycare. The car doors open, the kids jump in and they immediately ask "What are we doing tonight?"
Knowing this was going to happen (it didn't take me long to catch on to this pattern), I tried to arrange a playdate for them for the night, but to no avail. So, I braced myself for the instant complaints. The familiar "there's never anything FUN to do...my life is boring"...yadayadayada.
So I dove right in and explained that we would be spending the evening at home. Expecting the familiar. And getting quite the opposite from Mr. B.
"Good. Tonight I want to work on building a fort."
I looked back (just to make sure I had picked up the right kid) and smiled in amazement.
Mr. B has never been the imaginative or creative one (those honors totally belong to his sister). He does best when he knows exactly what he's going to do...and when he's going to do it. So I was shocked that he wanted to build something on his own.
After dinner, he set out for the woods along the edge of our backyard carrying his supplies -- screws, drill, drill bit and a shovel. He gathered his sticks and went to work:
Knowing this was going to happen (it didn't take me long to catch on to this pattern), I tried to arrange a playdate for them for the night, but to no avail. So, I braced myself for the instant complaints. The familiar "there's never anything FUN to do...my life is boring"...yadayadayada.
So I dove right in and explained that we would be spending the evening at home. Expecting the familiar. And getting quite the opposite from Mr. B.
"Good. Tonight I want to work on building a fort."
I looked back (just to make sure I had picked up the right kid) and smiled in amazement.
Mr. B has never been the imaginative or creative one (those honors totally belong to his sister). He does best when he knows exactly what he's going to do...and when he's going to do it. So I was shocked that he wanted to build something on his own.
After dinner, he set out for the woods along the edge of our backyard carrying his supplies -- screws, drill, drill bit and a shovel. He gathered his sticks and went to work:
By the time I made my way outside, he'd already started assembling one of the fort walls (top left photo of sticks propped up against another stick that was drilled onto two trees). He's also building a roof complete with cut branches full of leaves (he's adjusting the roof on the top right photo.)
Oh, and what fort wouldn't be complete without a sign. He and Miss Monkey started working on that creation with an old piece of plywood and spray paint...I'm not sure what it will be, but for now it's blue with a reddish orange "X" through the middle.
Sometime during the process, Miss Monkey asked what he was going to do in the fort. His reply. "Chill. Just chill."
At our bedtime prayers tonight, Mr. B gave thanks for being able to build a fort with his Mom. AND. He asked if we could keep working on it again tomorrow. Be still my heart, young man. You're making this momma extremely proud.
5 comments:
It's beautiful! Everything about it is judt beautiful!!
Awww, is that not the sweetest little boy you have? So wonderful, you must be so proud. :)
I love that! Some of my best childhood memories are of building forts! What a great momma to say yes to him!
Awww...he is making some good memories!
We don't have a tree strong enough for a house or a mom that can help build one.
jessica - TMH
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