Blanket forts and Adventure stories!

I bet every kid you know has probably made a blanket fort at one point or another. I would still love to do it! There is one particular time from my childhood that stands out in my memories. So, let me share it with you, and I hope it makes you smile and encourages your kids to create blanket forts and dream of future adventures.

Growing up in my childhood home, creative expression was something that was strongly supported and encouraged. At eight years old, my twin sister and I decided that was the perfect time to begin our paths to becoming a master architect, and all we needed were some blankets, a few pillows, our tablets, a flashlight, and our favorite stuffed animals, (as our quality control team) and each other. The coffee tables and chairs would serve as our main pillars.

So, on one stormy afternoon, gear in hand, we headed for the playroom. (We were also hiding from the thunder.) I grabbed my mom’s cherished quilt that she knitted, my sister commandeered my brother’s superhero sheets, and we took our cat throws off our beds. She and I stretched the blankets and sheets over and between the chairs, around and atop the coffee table and couch. We created a huge maze that took over almost the entire room. It was the coolest secret hideout. We thought we were invisible, which made it that much more fun. Since the blankets and sheets were all different colors, they made a wicked prism of light in the fort. Our cats even came in for a visit.

Once we finished our castle, we stood back to admire our work. Our parents even agreed. (1st time for everything, lol) We had created an architectural masterpiece. However, we had to explain that no adults were allowed.

Now, it was time for our princess tea party. We snuck in our favorite cookies, our tea set, and some juice boxes. We propped our stuffed animal pals in a circle for tea-time. (She and I were decked out in our prettiest dresses, mom's heels and tiaras)

For hours on end, our stuffed animal team and us sipped tea, battled enemies, made up ghost stories, organized dance parties, and travelled through space in our imaginary spaceship. Our parents finally said that we could spend the night there if we wanted to when bedtime came. But our dad said that mom needed to talk to us about something special after dinner. His smile grew, and so did our mom's. We could not wait to find out what it was.

Mom had a secret! So, right before bed, she came by our fort and pretended to ring a doorbell. Dad was knocking. They brought some snacks, too. Mom said that she wanted to read us a surprise story and that it was part of the secret she was about to share. They both came in and sat around our pillows and stuffed animals.

Just like she always did, Mom opened a book to read us a story. However, this time, she turned the book around so we could see the front cover. It read "The Adventure Twins. Book 1". It had a picture of 2 girls surrounded by animals, everyone smiling. They looked just like us. We were a bit confused until she explained.

The secret was....she had recently written and published a children's book. It was called "The Adventure Twins". She told us that she was writing a series about 8-year-old twin girl heroes who saved lost animals and reunited them with their families. She expressed how she wanted our help for the next book. What adventure would we like to go on, and whom would we save? She even promised to let us list us as co-authors. We were so excited. Our mom wrote a book about us, and we were about to be famous heroes in the make-believe world. My sister and I started throwing ideas at her all at once. All she could do was laugh. “We will start tomorrow, she giggled, but for now, do you want to hear this story?”

I still write children's books, and I am working on one now. My message to parents out there….

Encourage your children to build blanket forts where they can lose themselves in their imagination. Join them! Make an indoor haven with snacks and flashlights. Share ghost stories and play games. Bond in the blanket planet you created with them. Hide from your daily duties, even if it is only for a few minutes. See the world from your children’s eyes and be a part of it. Create your own adventure stories together as a family! Be each other’s hero.