Their Treehouse That Isn’t About the Treehouse

There are days when I wonder if my boys will ever get along. Most mornings start with bickering over bathroom time and their small shared bedroom, and most afternoons end with a disagreement over something as small as who’s wearing whose socks or who ate the last cookie. But every once in a while, something shifts.

Lately, it’s been the treehouse.

Now, let me be clear — I don’t actually know what they’re building. All I hear are bikes clattering back and forth from the barn, the rattle of old nails being hammered into scrap wood, and their voices calling each other’s names (without fighting!). From a distance, I catch glimpses of creativity in motion: one boy inspecting scraps of wood to be repurposed, the other balancing items on the back of an old golf cart to be hauled to the construction site,  both of them lost in a world where adventure feels bigger than any argument they’ve ever had.

They call it a treehouse, but I’m not sure that is what’s being built. What I do know is this: they’re stacking up memories one crooked board at a time. And for a moment, I don’t feel the need to step in and correct or direct. Their project may or may not stand tall in the end, but what’s being built between them is something far stronger than lumber — it’s a history, a bond that cannot be established in any other way than to grow up together.

Building without blueprints, braving splinters and cuts that don’t need Mom and Band-Aids, gathering materials on a zero-dollar budget — they are reveling in a shared victory that comes from figuring it out together. It’s these bruises and bumps and brainstorms that will turn into stories retold at the family gatherings — the beginnings of a history they’ll one day laugh at and treasure, and the growing of deep roots to a friendship they’ll learn to trust that will stand firm and support them when every other support seems shallow. They may be building a treehouse, but it is the love between them that is gaining a foundation.

Scripture instructs, “ Above all these, put on love, which binds everything together in perfect harmony.”  Colossians 3:14

It makes me thankful for the land we get to call home, this wide-open space that gives them freedom to test out their wild ideas. This type of adventure is what turns chaos into calm afternoons; it can soften their tempers and spark their imaginations. And in all the hammer swinging and hand sawing afternoons, there is harmony.

For my boys, it is found in sap on their hands, muddy sneakers, and a new scratch or a scuff, resulting in the thrill of saying, “We built this together.” For me, it’s in watching from the porch, heart full, knowing that God is present in all the moments.

This isn’t just a treehouse. It’s a chapter in their brotherhood story and my motherhood journey, proof that adventure and creativity can draw out the best in all of us, and a gentle reminder for me that sometimes kids need a little space to build more than we could ever imagine.

A Prayer for Today

Lord, thank You for the gift of adventure and the way it teaches our children to grow, stretch, and bond. Help me to see the beauty in their chaos, the lessons in their laughter, and the memories that You are quietly weaving into their story. Give me the patience to stand back and trust the process and the wisdom to only step in when it is needed. Amen.

A Question to Reflect On

Where might God be inviting you to let go a little and allow your children the space to build memories — even if it looks a little messy or chaotic in the process?

Until next time, keep following the Plott, and I will be praying for us all. 💛

 

Location: QHWV+J7 Jacksonboro, SC, USA

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

My Mountain Mover

Image
Several years ago, I was diagnosed with a benign brain tumor called a meningioma. Usually, these are harmless and removed. Mine, however, decided to settle down in a place that surgeons don’t really want to visit. So the plan became simple: Wait and see. Every year, I would go for another MRI. Every year, the report would come back with phrases like: “Minimal growth.” “Insignificant change.” After enough years of hearing those words, it became strangely normal and routine. Even comforting. Just another thing tucked into the background of life. Until this year. This year, the growth itself was still considered minimal… but the direction of growth was not. It has started creeping toward the central blood vessel running through the spinal cord. And suddenly “wait and see” became: “It’s time to do something.” What’s interesting is the treatment itself. You can’t really shrink it. You can’t safely remove it. And because of where it’s located, any symptoms or damage it causes would become p...
Read more

A Flock of Our Own

Today was a big day on the Plott farm — the kind of day that hums with excitement and smells like hay and fresh beginnings. We brought home three new sheep — 2 year-old ewes and 1 ram — rescued from a nearby herd. They were headed for slaughter, but instead, they came home with us — hand picked  — chosen! What was a terrifying day for them was, in truth, a day of salvation. The truck ride was bumpy, the new pen unfamiliar, and their wide eyes and quiet stares said it all — fear, confusion, and uncertainty. But what they didn’t know is that they were being rescued. They were being set apart for something better. They were being saved to start a new flock.  It struck me in that moment how much we’re like those sheep. We cling to what’s familiar — our routines, our habits, even the things that hold us back — because they feel safe. We resist the unknown, not realizing that sometimes God is leading us away from what’s comfortable so He can bring us into something better....
Read more

Everyday Disagreements & the Choice for Peace

If you’ve ever lived in a house full of boys, you know that disagreements aren’t rare — they’re part of the daily soundtrack. From who left the shoes in the doorway, to who ate the last snack, to why chores never seem to get done on time, conflict has a way of slipping into even the best days. It’s easy to let pride take the wheel in those moments. Pride says: “I need to be right.” Pride says, “They need to see it my way.” Pride says, “I deserve the last word.” However, the truth is that pride doesn’t build families. Peace does.  Scripture reminds us: “If it is possible, as far as it depends on you, live at peace with everyone.” – Romans 12:18  Peace means stepping back long enough to ask: “What matters more — being right, or being together?” In a family, the choice is almost always together. Choosing peace doesn’t mean ignoring problems or letting wrongs slide. It means addressing them with patience, humility, and a heart that values relationship over being “the winner.” In ...
Read more