visiting the dirt

Building a house is like being pregnant without a due date. Sure we know that eventually there will be something tangible for us to see, but for now we can only drive out and visit our dirt.


dirt

dumpster on our lot 


We’re already living in this house in our minds- “we” meaning the parents in the family. The kids have their own visions as well:

Mitchell wants black walls.
Olivia wants to make her bed into trees to match a jungle theme.
Charlie wants to bring in sand for his ocean/beach theme.
Bishop wants a hammock in his room.

Our idea to paint one wall a color of their choice (not black!), make window treatments, put up matching posters and bed spreads does not excite them. Perhaps they have an even bigger vision that we- one that is not clouded by resale value and cleanliness issues.

I think that this negotiation goes deeper than just paint color choices. They want to know how much our family will change if we all have our own spaces. Will we still be the same parents? How much will the rules change if we are not just a few feet away from each other? Will there be too much freedom or not enough? They’ll just have to trust us about that.

In some sense, I suppose it is our job to provide the walls and their job to decorate them in their own individual ways, but just not with black paint!

next door neighbors survey lines 

our back view of trees