Originally published February 2007
This is the way my son’s room looks Every.Single.Day. Take a close look. Everything to do with pirates resides on that floor. I can’t walk through them…I can’t walk around them…in fact I can barely get in the door.
You see, although it might look like a mess to you (and to me), my son has all those pirates strategically placed just so according to some pirate map that he handles oh so carefully for fear of it getting damaged. He plays with these pirates for hours on end….battle after battle… over and over again . I love to stand at his open door just watching him play.
It has taken me a long time to look past what appears to be just a big mess. You can only imagine how badly my body would twitch every time I would walk past his room, how I would fight with him to clean it up. But over time I’ve learned to pick my battles and I choose not to battle with the pirates. I know these pirates won’t be around forever. Soon my son will move on to other things and there will come a time when I will long for these simple days of seeing my son sitting on the floor using his imagination and making battle sounds only a mother could find endearing. Soon there will be days when I walk by his room only to hear loud music penetrating from beyond the other side of a closed door, a door I’ll have to knock on before I even dare enter.
Oh yes, those pirates all over the floor, they can definitely stay because as long as the pirates are around I stand a chance of holding onto my little boy for just a little while longer.
**Every week (or two) I kindly ask the pirates to take their battle to the side of the room so I can vacuum and they reluctantly agree.**
The Chatty Housewife says
I liked the note about the vacuuming. Funny!
So true about looking back at these days at a future time and longing for them.
Jennifer says
lol on the vacuuming!
Jennifer (The Wife) says
My son’s room looks exactly the same way expect that it is Star Wars Legos that are arranged oh-so-carefully. Like you I have learned to let it go.
Jill says
I’m wondering what Captain Hook is using the flashlight for 😉 The funniest part of your post is the last line: kindly asking the pirates to move their battle! 🙂
momrn2 says
Sounds like a good decision to me mommy!! 🙂 I’m becoming quite convinced they grow faster with each year.
Now I’m wondering. It appears this was originally published almost a year ago. Is he still playing with his pirates like he was??
Debi says
What a sweet post! I constantly fight those same urges with my guys. I just keep reminding myself about my “mess” of school plans. Cleaning it all up each day just to have to spread it all out again to work the next day would just be a waste of time. I’m sure it feels the same to the kids…so while in the midst of “long performances” I try to forgive the mess.
sheri says
as the mother of 2 grown son’s who now have their own families,oh how I yearn to have those days back!! I never dreamed how time would go by so fast. I now have 4 beautiful grandchildren, my son’s now say..”mom,u never let us do that” lol. sweet,sweet memories!
Kelly says
This is so true! For my son, it’s legos.
Queen B says
Thanks for the reminder 🙂
Laura says
Yep, a year later he is still playing with his pirate guys!
Mzchell02 says
Glad to know I am not the only mother who feels this way about the mess in the bedroom, but I have to remember my imaginatve childhood and allow my son to have his too.
Melissa says
With us it’s the legos. It’s hard to remember that they are his passion and that there is order to the chaos. It’s all a matter of perspective!
jen says
Too funny on the vacuuming part. Little boys are just great.
Sommer says
Well, at least he’s playing and interacting and using his IMAGINATION. That would be worth it to me!
Sommer
Yvonne says
Wait, are you sure you didnt ‘find’ a photo from my son’s room and post it on your blog?? :o) My son is 13 and has now discovered that you can make really cool stop motion Lego movies and put them up on YouTube. I don’t think I am ever going to see the floor of his room! :o)
Yvonne :o)
Erin says
Your post almost made me cry. I blogged about it here: http://sometimesitsabitch.blogspot.com/2008/01/sad-and-beautiful-post-on-another-blog.html
Thank you for the fresh perspective.
Mrs. Wilson says
Oh I’m totally with you on that! Yea, too soon our babies will be too old to play with such toys … enjoy it while it lasts!!
Angie @ Sonflower says
My son and your son could be very good friends. This was such a sweet post. There’s a lot of wisdom in these words. I love your site!
karen says
Oh how timely I popped by. My son’s room is just like this too. He’s nearly 7 and has the cowboys lego, a pirate ship, castle, treasure and all, all over – and I’ve not wanted to touch it either, that sense of enjoying the boy-ness of him. Thanks for this post.
Daisy says
I love your last little aside — politely asking the pirates to move for the vaccuum! Some of my 4th grade students still bring tiny pirates to school; I have to ask them to let the little guys hunt the buried treasures in their lockers.
Christine says
Wow, that’s the truth if I ever heard it. I LOL’d but it also kinda made me tear a bit. I have the same pirate adventure in one room, and then Polly’s World in the other. And while my OCD screams to pick it up, I too pick my battles. Hey, as long as it stays in THEIR room then it’s not MY problem! Great post 😀
AZMOM says
Good idea to let him leave it set up. I remember my sis and I would have paper dolls, baby dolls or Barbie dolls set up just so either in our rooms or in the hall between our rooms. We only had to clean up on vacuum day!
amy says
I just found your blog and love it. We too have this w/ DS ‘collections’ but they were taking over the house. finally we decided that he could have a specific area and put his collections in zip top bags….. these years are precious;)