The Simple Things - A Cardboard Box

My children are very lucky, they have a playroom full of toys-  beatiful wooden ones, noisy and colourful plastic ones, the soft stuffed variety, books and puzzles.  Every room in the house seems to have been taken over by their toys, Duplo bricks and Hot Wheels constantly under foot.  Despite all of this, the most coveted 'toys' seem to be the remote control for the littlest (he isn't silly, only the real one will do) and my phone for Dylan.  

Recently we were sent some Little Tikes Cozy Coupes ready for our leg of the Team Honk relay and after an evening spent building one, we retired to bed leaving the newly built car and the box in the middle of the floor.  Come morning, two very excited boys discover the ultimate toy in their living room - a cardboard box big enough to fit two small children in.

We opened up the end, making it into a tunnel and for the next two hours, were entertained with only an empty box and each other.  They chased each other round and through the box, sat in there together giggling and when it all got too much, they pushed it over and sat on it to eat their snack.  

The games I remember from my childhood often involved upturned tables, garden chairs and other household items and it was lovely to see the boys playing so nicely together, so entertained  by something so simple.  I will not be throwing away a carboard box again until it is bashed, squashed and covered in snot and banana!

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A New Dynamic

Up until quite recently, Archie has been a baby, Dylan a toddler.  They have loved each other, cared for each other and enjoyed having a brother to spend the days with.  Dylan was the active one, bringing toys to Archie, entertaining him, looking out for him.  Archie is now well and truly mobile, comfortably cruising the furniture and crawling on his hands and knees.  He is climbing the stairs, exploring every surface and toy and causing mischief at every opportunity! 

The dynamic has changed, it is no longer a one sided show, but the boys are learning to play together.  They sit with the same toy pressing buttons or moving the characters around.  They follow each other, they giggle together playing their own little games. Archie is becoming a toddler before my very eyes.

The dynamic is always changing and it won't be long before Archie is the dominant one.  His personality is cheekier, his will stronger and I foresee all kinds of fun as they grow up together.

There are two sides to these changes though, and of course Dylan still needs his space.  He has puzzles to do, lego to build and books to read without a little brother trying to chew the pieces.  He wants to spread out and get stuck in like he used to, but Archie has other ideas and this can cause some obvious friction between them. 

 I haven't yet come up with a solution for when they are both demanding of my time, and they still nap together in the afternoons leaving me no one on one time during the days.

Mostly though, the changes are exciting to watch.  Archie is learning to play, and Dylan to share.  They are entertaining each other, growing a friendship and I have more and more moments where I can sit on the sofa with a cup of tea and just watch them smiling and playing together.  I knew that having the boys so close together with only an 18 month gap would have its advantages as well as its challenges and seeing the boys together now both are so clear.

I feel like they have the best gift ever in having a sibling to share their childhood with, a constant companion and playmate but there are times I just want to split myself in two.  Mostly though, I am finding this stage exciting as we grow alongside one another as a family.

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