The Backyard Fortress
My kids are 5 and 7, and when they are bored they entertain themselves by pushing each other’s buttons and looking for reasons to tattle. With the pandemic, limited play dates, and school closures, they have found themselves bored quite often.
Every time I think I have a minute to sneak off and read a book or eat ice cream out of the carton, it begins: “MOM, she is putting her feet on my side of the couch!” “MOM, he called my Ariel doll stupid!” “MOM, she’s tattling…I didn’t do it!” “MOM, he took the pink marker I was thinking about using next Tuesday!”
It’s tempting to be relieved when they are finally playing quietly together…ooo, I can pretend to meal prep while actually scrolling through Facebook newsfeeds! But don’t be fooled.
Usually, the only time they play independently without fighting it is because they are up to something sneaky: filling up the bathroom sinks with handsoap, drawing with Sharpies on their furniture, or opening up every box of bandaids to stick their artwork to the wall.
The days have been sunny, and I send them to play outside a lot. So when they were out in the backyard the other day and not bothering me, I selfishly took some time to myself: showering and folding laundry. But after about an hour of their collaborative teamwork, I started to get suspicious.
