WHAT KIDS NEED

I’ll Never Forget Living in ‘The Cave’ — My Basement Divorce Dwelling

The benefits of living in a small space

The Cave in its full glory with the upgraded wrestling mats. — Author Photo

Small Living — Big Love

I stir a simmering soup and watch my five-year-old drill a hole in an agate he found. He tells me it’ll be a necklace. Safety glasses protect him from the spray created by the tiny diamond bit on the end of a Dremel tool.

My daughter peeks over the top of her loft and asks, “How long until dinner, Daddy?

I can hear the plastic grinding from her standing in Legos. I rip off my shirt, and boom, “Five minutes ‘till dinner! Plenty of time to kick your butts! In this corner, weighing in at 155 pounds, Daddy-The Animal-Chin!”

The top floor of the custom lofts served as the designated Lego Depository and sacrificial messy area! — Author Photo

I take the center of The Cave, our basement digs, like a champion fighter claiming the middle of a boxing ring. Jaxen rips off his shirt and safety glasses and charges at me. I scoop him up and body-slam him. The double-padded carpet absorbs the impact and his giggles. Our skin-to-skin contact gives us a jolt of connection and love.