When I was five years old, our family moved to a large country home. It had three bedrooms upstairs and one downstairs. My parents had the one downstairs. My brother had one of the smaller upstairs bedrooms. My oldest sister had one medium size, and my two other sisters shared a very large bedroom. On both sides of the large bedroom were walk-in-closets with slanting ceilings. The closets were the whole length of the room, just like the picture above. So the closets were big. It even had a window in it. That’s where I had my bedroom. I was the youngest, and of course, that is where they put me. I loved it.
It was a small, cozy, fun place to play, and it was all mine. I filled it with things I loved as much as I could. My parents didn’t have much money so, I would always try to get the pretty things my older sisters didn’t want anymore. Or, when they would ask me to run and get something for them, I would ask, “What will you give me, if I do it for you?” I usually got something out of them. My sisters were a lot older and had jobs. So they bought things, pretty things, I wished I could have.
I have very fond memories while that was my bedroom. My sisters one by one left, and by the age of around twelve, my sisters all moved out, leaving me with any room I wanted.
As I was starting to write this chapter, I studied the picture above wondering what I should write about the toy room. Amazingly, something that I had never notice before, it reminded me of my little closet bedroom. Memories of my little room flooded my mind. As I think about it, I think it is around the same size and shape. No wonder I love the toy room.
The toy room was my idea. I wanted a special place for my grandchildren to play in. During the planning, I asked if part of the family room ceiling could be extended, vaulted, up to the second floor. I also asked if we could finish off the attic with the one side open to the family room. Sure enough, Hubby got it on the blueprints and had the job done.
Needless to say, this is a favorite room for children. Now that the grandchildren are older, I have pillows and bean bags for them. We find them overlooking and eavesdropping on the adults below. Also, when we’re watching a movie in the family room, some of the grandchildren go upstairs to watch. The view is great, and it’s so cozy!
I wanted to make our homes inviting to all ages, even children, letting them know they are welcome to play and have fun. Even more important, a place for relaxation. Trust me, with ten grandchildren a fun cozy place for them to go, is sometimes needed.