Child's Play

It's the end of an era, manifesting in actions large and small. My daughter is cleaning out some things - tonight it was boxes of her childhood books. We looked through them together. Oh, for those simpler times, for the cozy space we created together, safe in the words and pictures. We sort out different piles: books that will never leave her side; books I will keep for my kiddie clients entertainment; girl books for my favorite 4-yr-old and boy books for the two brothers. And another box, of her pre-teen and teenage "dark" books - they are going straight to the book exchange shop. So from this far-away place of secure, innocent, protected childhood, she packs the box into the trunk of her boyfriend's car, and they drive away into the night - where she will spend yet another night at his house. They're all toddlers, really, cling tight and then run to adventure.