“Toys do not belong in the living room. They belong in the bedrooms. That’s where children play.” That’s what I said BEFORE I had Ava. I had it set in my mind that my living room would NOT be taken over by toys. I believed children played in their rooms. At least that was my perspective before I had Ava.
I have discovered that our living room has become the place where life happens. A place where we get to watch Ava learn and grow. A place where she can explore and develop her fine motor skills and understandings of the things around her. A place where we get to see this miracle we created become what God has planned for her to be. A place where we learn some of the ins and outs of parenthood.
One night, my husband and I were just sitting in the living room visiting with each other. As I looked around and saw toys spread throughout the room, and play food sprinkled all over the floor from Ava’s kitchen, I felt this feeling of joy inside of me. This mess was a sign of life, a sign of adventure, a sign of many blessings. I usually clean up all the toys once Ava has gone to bed but on this night I decided to just let them be for they were proof that adventure, curiosity, exploration, creativity, questioning, learning, growing, and so much more happened that day. These toys were a sign of life and memories made.
