The Mom Cave

I’ve heard that some homes have a “man cave.”…you know that place where the man can go to escape  with his remote, his recliner, and whatever else he thinks he needs.

Well, at my house, we don’t need a man cave. The whole house is a man cave. For goodness sake, even our dog and our lizard are boys.

I love my house full of men and boys. I really do.  I don’t mind the noise (most of the time). I don’t even mind them watching football and burping together.  But every now and then, I do time out. Sometimes I’d just like the option of watching a mushy movie without everyone groaning and whining 635 times during those two hours to please change the channel and ask what’s for dinner.

I decided something . Our house doesn’t need a man cave. It needs a mom cave.  I need a place I can go to escape the rest of the house. So I’ve been working harder at making our bedroom a place I can just retreat to.  I got an old television from the thrift store for the days I’m just done with football, wrestling, and poker tournaments…for days when I just can’t look at one more crumb-coated counter top.

So I’ve created my mom cave. I retreat with my laptop, a book, or a Hallmark movie…and you know what? The strangest thing has happened. My family starts to miss me…and they come and ask what they can do for me. My children delight in bringing me a cup of hot cocoa or offering to make dinner.

It seems to me that the mom cave is accomplishing more than I even thought it would. It has provided me with a place to rejuvenate and escape, but it has also called my men to action. To realize that mom’s tired and needs a break from serving. Without me even asking, they seem to have figured it out.

I love giving my men and boys an occasion to arise to.