Forts

My three fort builders, Oona-Sol-Joshim, Jan. 2006




I built a fort with the kids today.

A high table, a few pillows, toys, crayons, paper and a whole lot of imagination.

The idea came to me after breakfast. I didn't want them vegging-out in front of the tv all day long, my poor kids stuck indoors most winter. It this were back home in Manila, this would not be a problem. Unless there was a typhoon.

This long TV watching. It's been nagging at me for some time now. I made an executive Mommy-decision and cut them off right after I cleared the breakfast stuff. Ooh how they complained but it lasted a few seconds. As soon as they saw what their fabulous Mommy was up to, they got so excited that they stayed under the dining table which they magically transformed into the dragon's den complete with knights and a princess and a joker for a whole hour!

I got the fort inspiration from cyberpals Leonie and SARK who swear by the magic of building them. It could be anything really. Blankets on couches, boxes, closets, cabinets...anything that your child-like imagination can come with is excellent enough.

I don't remember ever building one as a child. I do remember a lot of climbing though. Climbing pillars at our grandmas, climbing bookshelves, climbing hills and sliding down on dried coconut branches. That's a whole lot of climbing. I was born on the year of the goat after all. Maybe mine was the mountain variety.

Come to think of it I don't remember much about my childhood games and this makes me a bit sad. I envy those who can write marvelously detailed memoirs from when they were five complete with names and colors and scar stories. What I do remember very vividly is the music from my past. The records my mom played and danced to when she was home with us. (Lots of salsa and swing) I remember dancing to Tiny Bubbles at three years old. I remember playing the theme to Police Woman on my Yamaha organ at eight. And painfully so, I remember the John Thompson Books 1-4 that my piano teachers had me practicing daily all through out my childhood years. From the very beginning I've always been more auditory than visual. Which is probably why I don't remember the games as vividly as I want to.

Maybe if I listen to the music from my childhood, it will all come tumbling back - rather, "climbing" back to me. And it's never too late to create more childhood...child-like! memories. As long as there are forts to build and kids to build them with me.


********
peace
love
joy
~iKat
********