Beyond the Barricade!

"It is the music of the people who will not be slaves again..."

My children and their friends anthem.

In addition to lobbing mud balls into the road one of their other favorite games is "Barricade" well to be honest I do not know if it has a name. The game involves building a makeshift barricade from all of the outside toys that live in the garage. Today it even included a few umbrellas that were left because of the recent rain.

My friend- and neighbor- and mama to my children's playmates- and I have commented how much it resembles the 'Barricade' featured in "Les Miserables" and it really does!!! Maybe we'll dress them up and arm them with marshmellows or something.

I'll admit that age five may be a bit to young to understand the Paris Uprising of 1832 and the several plots and sub-plots of the novel. I mean are antimonachism or familial vs. romantic love or justice topics that are really ripe for discussion with a kindergartner?? For now I'll play the music and she can sing and dance to it- maybe she'll grow to love it. Then maybe when she grows up I'll foist a copy of the story on her.

It is really funny though especially with Stinky has his face covered with dirt to imagine him as a small Gavroche...hopefully his plot line does not end the same way.

But they can build their barricade and I'll watch thinking of so many things that they are so blissfully unaware of- thankfully. And let them enjoy the simple part of being a kid.