When my daughter was smaller, she spent a lot of time with her Babcia. (Explains a lot about her attitude) Her Babcia and Poppy would pick her up from school and take her to Burger King near our house, and she’d stay there until I picked her up after work. Sometimes she’d stay a little longer if I had errands to run, went to dinner, went to happy hour, or had to work late. Babcia used to remind me not to be gone too late because my daughter missed me. She’d say, “Little people have little feelings too”. I always remembered this, even up until I was working in my church nursery a few years back. It was a room full of little feelings and was sometimes a challenge to navigate. One is hurt, one is tired and cranky, one is sad, one is full of energy, one is singing, one is begging for attention…. it could be quite a task to keep up with them all. I managed, and I loved doing so, and I loved those children. It reminded me that we ALL have good days and bad days, even the smallest of us. We must always take that into consideration when communicating with a child. When a child is sad or angry, there is a reason; maybe we know what it is, maybe we don’t, but we should always proceed with care.

My niece may be the luckiest kid in the whole world. Her dad (the Polish Prince) is building her a treehouse. It’s not just a platform in a small tree either, it’s a real honest to goodness treeHOUSE up high in a big old tree in the backyard. It has a floor with a trap door. It has real glass windows. It’s only framed for now, but there will be walls and maybe even electricity. I’m considering bumping Sophie off and moving in there myself. It’s a project in progess and they’ve been working on it almost every weekend. The adults work, and Sophie supervises and helps fetch tools. I think it serves two purposes. First and foremost, it’s all for Sophie. There’s nothing my brother wouldn’t do for her, she is definitely daddy’s girl. Since he became Chief, my brother has been very busy and things have been hectic. I think the treehouse is also a way for him to unwind and pour himself into something he enjoys doing to take his mind off all the madness. He’s never really ‘off work’, if his phone rings he has to answer at any time. So work is always looming. Sophie told Babcia the other day that her dad was on the phone and wasn’t paying attention to what she was saying. Babcia wisely reminded her… “He is building you your treehouse. That means something.”

When we’re young, we don’t always understand the sacrifices our parents make for us, or the work they do just for our happiness. Children live in the moment. They know only what is right now. They don’t concern themselves with what used to be or what is coming. If in that moment they feel hurt, or left out or ignored, they are upset – there is no bigger picture. I know I didn’t understand so much of what my mother endured and did for us growing up until I was older. As a small child I only knew how it inconvenienced me and I didn’t always understand.

Some day Sophie will remember that tree house and she will smile. She will know how much her dad loved her. She will remember how he wanted everything to be perfect and for it to be the best tree house ever because it was hers. I’m not saying she doesn’t appreciate it now, because she does. But the appreciation that comes with age is different. It helps us to see our parents as the people they were, struggles and all, and how they were always there for us no matter what was going on in their lives. Babcia carried so much stress and worry, and yet she made the time to play with us every day. She read to us constantly. She made up games and sewed us stuffed animals and told us stories. And I think just like my brother, the time spent on us gave her a respite from her own worries and responsibilities. It was as much for her as it was for us.

Sophie will have her treehouse. But not until she is older will she realize that her dad’s whole heart is built into that treehouse, as it was in everything he did for her.