locked out

i was cleaning out my in-box this afternoon (yes, i have too much time on my hands and am bored), and i found this cute e-mail i wrote about my boys from february 2007. time has flown by in the past year, but luckily, i still have amazing boys. here's the e-mail:

Should it make me sad that the kids lock me out of their room? Granted, their door does not lock, but they have discovered a way how to keep me out. They shove a dozen swords under the door, jamming it shut with their sheaves. Now, I should be mad that their doing this, but I think that it's so darned cleaver I can't help but laugh. That is, until I have to knock every five minutes so I can throw yet another one of their stray toys back into the room.

Being locked out isn't the worst thing for a mother. It's quieter, and since they are being mischievous together, they don't seem to fight as much. Any break from the fighting brings peace to my heart. And with their mischievousness, they can work miracles. For example, I have never seen a room get so dirty so fast as when they are working together. It is a miracle that in less than five minutes, they can spill every single toy out onto the floor of their room. Virtually no carpet is left to be seen. And after the toys come the blankets. All that is left is a naked bed, barren drawers, and a scatter of toys that brings their imaginations to a vivid start.

I like to listen through that locked door, and hear the stories they make up. They are usually knights, ninjas, or some other heroic character fighting the evil villain. Abe, though, cries when he is told to be the bad guy. He no like being bad, he says. Maybe all that mess is worth something, since they create a different world with it. I remember being a child myself once, and locking not only my mom out of my room, but the entire world. And I would escape into my own imagination for hours on end. I guess that's what being a child is all about, and in that world, adults aren't allowed.