Natural elements are always interesting. They are particularly interesting to children. Whether it is their first bath, the feeling of dirt, or the wind blowing through the trees the elements are fascinating things to behold. Just as our anscestors rejoiced when they discovered the ability to harness fire so too do children rejoice in that magical element flickering in the distance. Something amazing takes place when viewing those bright, colorful, moving flames for the first time up close. This past week the temperature dropped enough for us to rationalize lighting up the fireplace. Our son was thrilled.
He eagerly stood as close as he could to the dancing flames. They were warm, inviting, and magical. He happily stood next to the fire for the majority of its life. He really really liked it. We got out a blanket and layed in on the floor in front of the fireplace. We moved the sofa to another area of the room to allow us good seating area on the floor. We happily sat on the floor watching the fire and enjoying its warmth.
The next day we woke up to another cold morning. Our son went over to the fireplace, pointed at it, and then said “hot” in a way that made me know that he wanted the fire to return. Since it was certainly a cold morning we started another fire and enjoyed the time together again. It seems that this winter season will be filled with fire for our son to enjoy. It has started to become a small problem to keep him from putting his hands inside the fireplace. He has yet to touch anything long enough to get burned (and learn another type of lesson) but we’ll see how it goes. Will the fire become less special with frequent use? While we’re uncertain of his continued interest we know that the fire brings us together as a family and that is quite welcome.