Remember making tents in the living room?
My mom taught my brothers and me to make tents with chairs and blankets–sometimes even the dining room table. Bless her! We learned a little about a lot, not the least of which was that fun can be had with no major financial investment, no trip outside the home, and no electronics! But we learned other things as well: the relation between weight, friction, and tension (when the blankets/sheets did/didn’t stay put), negotiation techniques (when siblings did’t agree), and improvisation (when the clothespins inevitably ran out).
But when The Child constructed a tent today, I about had a conniption. I just washed all the blankets this weekend, and now must re-wash the ones she used (we have three dogs, and they shed terribly). I managed, however, to catch myself before saying anything negative (whew). After all, it’s just a few loads, and I have a washer and dryer. I don’t have to do it by hand. But building a tent… Ah! There is imagination! There is industry! There is ingenuity! And I want my daughter to practice these as much as possible, but now that lunch break is over, it’s time to apply those traits to fractions and reading. Thanks, mom, for the gift you gave me and the boys so many years ago, and for being willing to wash so many blankets and sheets!
Racing to Live 