All from a cardboard box...

I have written a lot about “boxes” in the last few posts. Metaphorical boxes. I’m going to write about boxes again today, but this time, I mean real boxes…you know…cardboard boxes.

When kids are really little, parents, grandparents and loved ones agonize over what “perfect gift” to buy them. No matter what it is they decide on, it seems the child would always rather play with the box.

So what is it about the box?

It’s a blank slate. It can be a spaceship. A tent. A car. A boat. A train. A house. An island. It can be a bed for you, or for your dolls. It can be a place for your most special treasures. It can be whatever you want it to be, and that can change, from one minute to the next. You can draw on it, or paint it, or glue stuff to it, or cut holes in it…in fact, the more of that you do, the better it looks.

This past month, my in laws put a new shower in their bathroom. It came in a huge box and my mother in law wondered if Jodi would like it. So Jeff brought it home for her – it was a big box. It took up almost the entire back of his truck and a good portion of Jodi’s porch. But the kids were soooo excited. There were so many possibilities! Where would they go today? To the moon? Across the world? Would they turn it into a bed for the babies? Or a house for the dogs?
Actually, they decided to go camping. They turned the box into a tent. A tent big enough to hold Makenna, 4 friends, and a dog or two.

(sorry about the blurriness)

Imagine the fun they had creating. The conversations. The imaginations at work. The outside walls were full of little drawings. Contributions from all of them – a group project that they had so much fun with. All from a simple cardboard box.

A huge box, that took up most of Jodi’s living room. As fun as it was, after a few days, the girl wanted her living room back, and who could blame her.

So, instead of it heading to the burn pit, the box again took on a new life. This time, Jodi portioned it off and created little houses for the kids. Makenna decided hers would be for her Littlest Pet shops. This house had four walls, a floor, windows and a door.

"No babys allowed...Owen allowed"

Inside there was wallpaper, a frayed rug, furniture, even a TV. There was a table with food on it…there was even a mailbox and a laptop.

All this, from a cardboard box. Makenna was positively beaming. And I have to admit, I was impressed. She brought that box home and had so much fun playing with it and her littlest pet shop toys. Never mind that she has 2 Littlest Pet Shop houses that we BOUGHT her…once again the box was better.
She wasn’t the only one who got one…the other kids did too…but of course the boys’ boxes weren’t doll houses…oh no no no…they were for their action figures…they were base camps…forts…you know… boy boxes.

It doesn’t take much for kids to make great memories…it doesn’t take much stuff, it doesn’t take much money, it doesn’t take much of anything really, except time. My mother in law recognized that, and Jodi knows that. They both helped create memories for my daughter and it didn’t involve going anywhere, buying a fancy electronic toy, or a lot of pre planning.

Over the years, Makenna is sure to use that new shower at her grandparents’ house…we all will…but she will have enjoyed the box it came in so much more.