Tree House Under Construction

One afternoon this last week, I got bombarded with questions from the boys. One shouted with excitement, “Dad, can I use a hammer?” Another cried, “I need a saw.” “By the way, do you have some nails?” “Oh, we need some boards too.” “Can you help us?” As others heard about the adventure, they joined in. Of course to be an official contractor, they each needed their own hammer, saw, tape measure, and a tool bag full of nails. That’s just how it has to be, ya know?

I soon discovered they were planning to build a tree house. They had the perfect tree all picked out and were so excited to get me involved and illicit my help. Showing me the tree, they described their dream. It really did sound great.

Over the next few days we talked, made some plans, and gathered the tools we would need for the project. Some of them used their savings to purchase a few new tools. Of course, there are usually plenty of nails and screws available in dad’s collection of stuff. We went up to our pile of scrap lumber and picked out some boards.

They were thrilled to have some supplies to work with. Joshua and Jonathan were the ones that came up with the idea. When Jared saw what they were doing, he was very eager to join in and take over. We had a little discussion about this, and peace was restored. Jared, Joshua, and Jonathan are very capable and things moved forward. They quickly finished their schoolwork, so they could spend the rest of the day working on the tree house. Even though Joseph wasn’t a big help, he still liked being with the boys.

After the project was well under way, Rachel and April asked for tools so they could help. Crystalynne and Marianne enjoyed just playing around the construction site. The children worked well together most of the time, but once in a while there was a disagreement between the boss and the foreman because nobody really knew who the boss was. They each had their own ideas about how it should work.

This has been their project. They were the designers and creators. Dad was just there to help. He reassured and complemented them on their good work. They called Dad the “saw man”. Children who were up in the tree would call down measurements. Dad would saw the boards according to their instructions and hand them up. They did the assembling and nailing. Once in a while they made an error and had to revise.

What a great team. At this point, their tree house has three levels, and there are steps connecting the different floors. Railings have been added in some places. The dream is coming together and everyone is having a blast!