Favorite Fun

About a year ago, Aaron and I put our mattress on the floor to make co-sleeping with Charlie easier and safer.  He was getting mobile and we were worried about him falling out of bed during the night and now it's easier to let him get up by himself rather than worry he might wake up and fall while getting down.  So, we've left it that way.  Our bedroom is a little strange looking, but no one ever goes in there.  It's a little difficult to get out of bed because it's so low, but we can do it.  It kind of feels like I am on a perpetual camping trip, but the bed is quite comfy!

During my journey with Hand in Hand parenting, I learned about the benefits to children and families of rough and tumble sort of play.  The kind of play that is like wrestling and becomes physical, but also evokes great laughter from lots of kissing.  This kind of play usually puts kids in the role of the leader and the parent is the one bumbling around and making mistakes. One afternoon when Sarah Graves was grumpy, I suggested we sit on the mattress and pretend to be pirates and sometime during this game, I became the crocodile.  Me being the crocodile and doing a big chomp chomp after her simply delighted her and made her laugh over and over.  So much so that she requested it over and over again.  Crocodile turned into her term for going into our room and playing with the assistance mostly of just the four of us and the soft comfy bed as a base.  Charlie loves doing it too and now scampers up the stairs after her trying to say crocodile.  She will ask him if he wants to go play crocodile and he claps his hands and says, "yay!"  Our games have evolved into different sorts of things, one of us being the baby, bulldozer, steamroller, waning machine, sharks, pillow fights, etc.  I think the part she is after is the undivided attention and the chance to roll around laughing as a family.  It's a wonderful part of an evening at home and something I hope they can hold onto and remember with their children.
I think we will leave the mattress where it is for a while.  Children grow up quickly and these memories with them are too wonderful to give up for a regular bed.