Why I Don’t Mind Not Having a Playroom
I’m always seeing pictures of other families’ playrooms on Instagram and Pinterest. Pretty playrooms, everything arranged just so, in order to keep the inevitable toy mess separate from the rest of the house. I always said my kids would have to have a playroom or would be required to keep their toys contained in their bedrooms, so that the house wouldn’t constantly be overrun with chaos.
Now, I look around at our teeny tiny apartment, which only holds half of what we actually own (granted, at least half of that other half is in want of a nice garage), and I realize I’m living in the midst of the aforementioned chaos. L’s room is just too small for all of her toys and books – not that she has all that much; it’s just that her room really is small.
My mother-in-law joked to me the other day that we have “an apartment within our apartment.” She was referring to L’s play kitchen, which arrived at Christmas and resides in the corner of our living room, along with her dolls’ bed and high chair. I laughed because my mother-in-law is right. That corner certainly looks like a mini-living space. And L spends many happy hours there, cooking pretend meals, feeding them to her babies, and then putting everyone down for a nap in the doll bed.
Our original intention was to put the play kitchen in L’s room, but when we assembled it, we realized there wasn’t enough wall space for it. And now, I’m really glad. It’s true that there are always play dishes, pots and pans strewn across the living room, but I don’t mind the chaos the way I thought I would. Most of the time, I need to be at my desk in the adjacent corner, and the fact that the chaos is mostly in the living room means that I can watch L play and easily interact with her throughout the work day. This is just fine with me. If I need privacy for a phone call, I simply leave the room.
At the end of the day, we clean up her toys together, which gives me the sense of tranquility I need in the evenings, gives her a clean slate on which to begin playing the next morning, and is teaching her to care for her belongings.
As much as I initially bemoaned the necessity of moving into a cramped apartment, our space constraints have turned out to be a blessing during this season, when L is just beginning to explore her creativity and imagination. Because she’s right there, we don’t miss a thing.
Sometimes, when I see a photo of a bright, cheerful, organized playroom in someone else’s house, I feel a twinge of envy. But then I look at L playing happily in the corner, and I smile, and the twinge evaporates.
Someday, she’ll be the one who wants all her stuff in her bedroom. Someday, instead of wanting to be right next to us all day long, she’ll want privacy and her own space. That time will be here before we know it, so for now, we’re savoring the way she shares every moment, every discovery, every emotion with us.
