As I said before, I never take credit for the fact that our two children were such good friends in those early years. I mostly consider it a happy accident, and one that had little to do with us as parents. But when a parent asks me if I can think of anything that might have encouraged that delightful state of affairs, I do remember certain elements of our household, and I wonder if perhaps some decisions we made in well-intentioned ignorance may actually have contributed positively.
It may all go back to the blue table.
This was a table I came across in a childrens’ store. It was the perfect dimensions and height for two children to sit side-by-side and do all kinds of arts, crafts, and later, even homework. It was very sturdy, although not very appealing from an interior design standpoint: a bright blue plastic embedded with fibers almost like fiber glass, and the legs were L-shaped with each side of the “L” about 3 inches deep, like two sides of a square, and those legs wrapped the corners of the table, giving it real stability. We placed it in the family room where an end-table would be at the end of the two sofas turned at a 90 degree angle, and had two plastic chairs there. On the table was all kinds of craft supplies: drawing paper, construction paper, crayons, pencils, scissors, paste, tape, glue, always out. At least for preschoolers, I don’t think there’s much more enticing than art supplies. Even if you’re not “crafty,” (I’m not) watching TV shows where they cut and paste is sort of magical. The sounds! The rrr-rrr-rrr sound that scissors make when they cut construction paper. The sound of folding or taping or gluing paper. Something about it is soothing, like chicken noodle soup on a rainy day. So the blue table was just. . .there. Always available, and our two kids used it for hours on end.
At birthday parties, we could put our two and my godchildren at it. In the summer we would move it outside when the kids were feeling entrepreneurial. It’s funny that something so seemingly random like the purchase of that blue table would have ended up affecting the culture in our house for years. If so much depended on a red wheelbarrow for William Carlos Williams, so much in our house depended on the blue table.
And from there, so many habits were established. So that creating cool stuff became “what we do together.”
So that when we traveled, any table became the place for creativity.
And any place became the place for a brother and sister to find ways to amuse themselves.
Is there a “blue table” in your family’s life? Something that has set the tone for positive, constructive enjoyment?
Perhaps there’s one in your future: what might it be, and how can you go about finding it?
Raising the Renaissance Child 