MaternityShare

Respectable Kid Pad July 10, 2008

I read this article called Rooms to Stop the Young From Straying that was posted today on the New York Times internet news site that was about parents creating whole rooms for their kids to hang out in and entertain their friends. The idea is to keep the kids close to home. This way parents would know where their kids are and what they are up to.

The pictures of these rooms depict a whole other world that I have never known. These rooms are posher that the places I have lived! They are decked out in comfy designer furniture with gaming and entertainment systems and more.

One family did use existing furniture to decorate the room plus $5,000 to outfit the rest of it. This is compared to another family whose budget for the kids entertainment room was $175,000. Wow. I suppose if I started saving now that by the time my son is a teenager I could save up around $5,000… but that didn’t include the furniture. Hmm.

Some of the other reasons to create these spaces for kids were for them to be social and entertain (one room even had its own kitchen!) as well as to have a space that they could get dirty (you know, from when they came in from the backyard pool).

Anyway, my take away is that it would be great to have a room for the kids to have their own fun in and to keep them happy at home where it is a safe place to play. And, investing things like gas and movie money into something like a great home theatre seems like a nice idea.

I want my son to feel comfortable and empowered regardless of if we have a dedicated social space at home from him and his friends or not. Building a foundation where there is good communication and respect is what is most important to me.

I can’t wait for this awesome challenge and adventure Billy and I are about to embark on in raising a child. Wow.