Hide and Peek

Where's Tye?

There she is!

 I just finished reading Katrina Kenison's book Mitten Strings for God: Reflections for Mothers in a Hurry.  It was filled with insights and ideas for taking time to appreciate the non-tangible aspects of family life.  In one chapter, she discussed the importance of hiding spaces for children.  She wrote:

Every child needs such a place, a place that invokes the processes of the imagination and the possibility of transformation.  A place that is at once a haven from the adult world and a source of mystery and wonder, a place that a child can discover and shape and lay claim to, simply by virtue of his or her own quiet presence there, and deep observation.

I began to think about our home, with it's new construction and lack of obvious hiding spaces, and I wondered where Tye would ever hide.  Of course, I didn't need to worry.  Tye found a space on her own, and she spends time there every day now.  Sometimes she hides and yells for me, asking me to come looking for her, and then giggles hysterically.  Other times, she hides and tries to coax the cat into her space with her.  Occasionally, she'll bring a snack, or she'll just sit quietly on her own for several minutes.  Whenever she does, I think back to the chapter in Kenison's book and reflect on the peace Tye is discovering in her own secret space, hidden away from the rest of the busy world.