Before Jody got home from work this evening, I was feeling a bit tired and overwhelmed. I knew I needed to get dinner started, but the kids wanted to play on top of the coffee table and I couldn’t very well leave them to do that without supervision. Actually, Ava would have stayed off of it if I asked her to, but Julian, at only 14 months, was another story.
Dissatisfied with the idea of spending the next half-hour removing him from the table every time he climbed up and listening to his cries of frustration as I did so, I considered moving the table to the basement – where all things that we don’t want the kids playing on/with seem to end up. It seemed like too much work to me, so instead I decided to flip the table over – my thoughts being that it would thwart Julian’s climbing efforts and possibly provide something “new” to play with. As both kids eagerly climbed inside, the upside-down table effortlessly transformed into a boat, and then a bed, while I made dinner without interruption (woot!).
Later tonight, as Ava and Julian walked countless times over the inverted table, I thought to myself what a fine obstacle course it had become for two kids who needed to work off some energy before bed. Ava informed me, however, that it was in fact now a bridge. Who knew that the table that had earlier been the source of my frustration would so easily morph into so many things, be just as much (if not more) fun for the kids, and make me smile instead of frown.
Sometimes a little change in scenery and perspective is all it takes to turn a stressful situation into a great one. :) I’ll have to remember that myself.
Stumble it!
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