Ah, Spring

Ah, chalk, a gate, and a window: three tools for a peaceful five minutes of parenting. The boys don’t want to come in, I want to sit down for a few minutes, and my elder son finds the perfect solution. From the shelf in the garage he pulls out the carton of Sidewalk Chalk, pulls it out, and starts drawing. His brother joins in, so I walk to the gate, close it, and head inside. Not a sound is to be heard, the beautiful silence of kids coloring. Of course, silence makes me nervous and I look outside every 30 seconds or so. But all is well, and I relax.

Now, five minutes later, my email is checked, and the driveway is decorated with my son’s name in blue, three umbrellas and a person in pink, and lots of scribbles in yellow, blue, grey, white, pink, and purple. The basketball is out, and my four year old needs to change his pants before we leave for the restaurant, but how wonderful it is that finally, outdoor time is possible in Cleveland. Warm, without rain.

Ten minutes, now I’m pushing my luck. When should I go out and summon them in? When do we start picking up the chalk? Can I bring back this peace later, after lunch, or is this a one-time deal? Later, inside, it’ll be different. Outside, it seems the screams dissipate almost immediately, as the world full of new toys – look at that stick; ooh, a basketball; is that mud? – draws their attention from their disagreements.

The winter doldrums have ended, bringing on the promise of a wonderful Spring where the whole world is opened up to us.

Darn, they came inside. Time’s up.