If you want to know how to insult me, compare me in any way
to Martha Stewart. I prefer an orderly
home, but one that looks like it was designed for family life, not a magazine
photo shoot. Walk in our front door and
it will instantly be obvious that a family lives here. My primary goal is that you not trip on Legos,
shoes or sports equipment during your journey into our home. Our basement is the pinnacle of my “create a
comfortable family home” design philosophy---and it’s unfinished. The reason I know it’s a success? It’s where the neighborhood kids want to
hang out.
Let me back up a step and describe this ‘paradise’ for
you. Our basement is unfinished in every
sense of the word; it’s where our furnace and water heater are; it’s where the
Christmas decorations, luggage and excess items are stored. It’s small and, much to my frustration,
occasionally has water on the floor.
Sounds fabulous, right? Why
wouldn’t the neighborhood kids choose this as their favorite place to hang out?
Here’s the magic to the basement: about 1/3 of it is designated as “kid
space.” In this area you will find a
play kitchen, a puppet theatre with puppets, an artist easel, a well stocked
craft station, a tub of dress up clothes, a bin of dolls and accessories,
etc. There is no cable tv, no Wii, no
Xbox. Just a space where kids can use
their imaginations (you know, that valuable childhood item that Toys ‘R Us
doesn’t sell). The second key to this
magic is that with the basement being unfinished, the kids are relaxed because
they aren’t concerned with breaking anything or getting anything dirty. They can be loud, messy, and well, be
kids. This is the true allure of our
basement.
Now, before you think that I’m one of those “electronics are
bad for kids” moms, rest assured that my kids have plenty of electronics. But when their friends come over, the kids
head for the “imagination station” that is our basement, or for our vast
collection of board games. When asked
to help clean up, these kids are more than happy to return order to this family
home because it ensures that they will be invited back---which apparently is a
common goal among our kids’ friends. One of Elisabeth’s friends, who lives in an
extremely large home, told her “I’d rather be at your house—it’s cozy” Case in point: our house is not a museum
where things are meant to be looked at but not touched---it’s a home.
Do I like our home to look nice? Yes, but not Martha Stewart-perfect. And Stewart brings to mind another Martha who
was overly focused on making everything perfect---that one from the Bible who
was too busy worrying about her home to enjoy Jesus’ company? Well, Jesus may not be sitting in my family
room, but the same lesson still applies.
I can’t help but feel bad for Martha’s granddaughter. I’m not sure how a kid is supposed to enjoy
life in a house that is designed to be photo-shoot perfect. I can only imagine the pressure she must feel
to avoid making a mess. She should come
to our house while Martha spends her time making things ‘picture perfect’.
We’ll be playing in the basement.
