Sounds From My Life (on a Saturday Night)

As I sat on my family room couch, trying to finish up the last remaining piles of work that I will have in my working existence, there were snatches of conversation escaping and floating up my basement stairs. My two children -- husband and child -- were playing a game called Heroscape.

This game has occupied quite a bit of their lives now that Christmas has come and gone. Nanny bought the game for Ethan and he was quite thrilled. I don't understand it one.bit. It has too many parts, and action figures (dolls) and platforms to be built, and cards that need to be referred to in order to know what each figure may or may not do. To top it all of there are dice that have skulls and shields. Clearly this is a boys' game. Mothers are not invited.

What I loved best though is what I heard:

Daddy that's not fair, you can't have both ninjas!

Well, you have all four flying people.

Oh yeah. But you even have the girl ninja!

Yeah, but you have all four flying people!

Fine.

....

What! You can't send me in the snake pit!

Oh yeah I can, the card says so!

....

What if we build it this tall?

That would be so awesome! Let's do it!

(sounds of building ensue)

This is so sweet!

I don't know about this...

I am totally kicking your b-u-t-t

Hey, that's enough trash talking, let's play.

Ha! Ha! You're totally going to lose!

Come on now, we haven't started this round yet!

Mama's Interjection: I have to interject by saying we have to make the beds!

Groan... Just one more round?

Groan... Just one more round?

No.

Fine.

Fine.

As the evening wore on, more and more snatches of conversation floated up the stairs like little friendly dust mites. I had to smile. To have such normalcy in a whirlwind of instability lately felt like such a blessing. Even if there was a discrepancy between ninjas and flying people