The Magic Room

The Magic Room
A Guest Essay
by Sam Hale

Last night I stood outside the bedroom door as my thirteen and ten year old granddaughters (sisters) were laughing, singing, playing and had been for over three hours. They had only been interrupted for a few minutes by dinner. I stopped in to play with them several times throughout the evening but they didn't need any help having fun.

For the last fifteen years my grandchildren, nieces, nephews and a few lucky friends have disappeared into the magic room, only to be drug out by their parents to go home. Their parents sit in my living room first amazed then startled when they realize their children hadn't been seen or heard for hours.

"It's impossible," they say. "Impossible. Three and four year can't have an attention span that long."

Then they go look into The Room, shake their heads in awe and stare in at their kids.

When my girls were grown and married, we were blessed with seven grand kids.

Raelynne, Jeremy, Johnny, Annalise, Audrey, Samantha and Sabrina.

We have a wonderful time and many traditions. So many as Granddad, I am proud to have started.

However, Grandma invented and built this magic room.

It started as the bedroom of my youngest daughter. It was always a happy and fun place to enter. When she moved out my wife started fixing up the room. She had me install shelves and tables around the three walls. I knew she was making a play room for our kids. It evolved into The Magic Room where our grand kids make war, fly airplanes, raise families, fight Indians, play school and visit places they have read about, seen pictures of or used their very bright imagination to create. I'm very sure they go places that I don't know.

The prime users of the room are now four of our granddaughters; fourteen, thirteen, ten and eight years old. Once in awhile the eighteen year old still enjoys the room.

The sisters and cousins have the rooms divided into "my house". All four have areas that are equipped to send the imagination individually or in groups from the moon to just in charge of your own family.

Grandma filled the room with PlayMobil toys. I don't know if there are one or one hundred of everything. I do know our kids have dozens of every type of people, I know. Not to mention the airports, forts, houses, castles, filling stations and on and on.

When the kids enter the room it glows, they sparkle and the magic begins.

I don't understand it. But I love it. Grandma brought the gift of love and imagination to my kids. What is gained? My kids read not because they must but because they love to. They can see the play in their minds. They all make good grades. My eighteen year old has many scholarships to help her in her freshman year in college.

I am very glad to have The Magic Room in my house!