A Treehouse For Mom On Mother's Day?

A unique gift for Mom on Mother's Day

A Treehouse For Mom On Mother's Day?
By Fred Lundgren

On the surface, the idea of giving Mom a treehouse for Mother's day seems about as dumb as giving her an alarm clock or a new vacuum cleaner. Not so! Since we built our treehouse in 1998, we discovered a treehouse is, among other things, a live-in baby sitter.
Needless to say, a treehouse can't provide enough diversion to keep kids entertained throughout their teenage years, but it certainly helps. It has become a safe place for camp-outs, slumber parties, and even a quiet place for our teenage daughters to sit with their boyfriends.
Our treehouse has taught us some important parenting lessons. If our kids have lots of fun at home, (enough fun to attract their friends to repeated visits), they are less likely to think about having fun elsewhere. And, just knowing the kids want to be at home builds trust between parents and children which makes the job of raising them a little bit easier.
Our treehouse seems to have permanently increased the popularity of our children with their peers, at least, if judged by the number of youngsters who stay at our home on most weekends. In our opinion, the weekend population increase is a good thing, especially for the Mom who has a genetic predisposition to "guard the nest".
During weekend backyard parties, our treehouse really gets a workout while playing host to dancing kids and a "boom box" that can be heard throughout the neighborhood, that is, until I turn it down.    
Our treehouse serves many purposes during the week. On a regular basis, it serves as a fun place to study or do homework. From our treehouse, the kids learn first hand about birds, squirrels, and other wildlife, while writing essays on their laptop computers.
Cell phone and cordless phone calls made from our treehouse take on an increased sense of importance which usually causes the caller to announce, "I'm talking from our treehouse".
For some reason, barbeque seems to taste better when cooked on the outdoor grill that stands in the corner of our treehouse.
The treehouse is a good thing for Mom and Dad's relationship too. We have a porch swing in our treehouse, and from time to time, Mom and I sit together and enjoy a little wine and romance under the stars while remaining close to home.
Generally speaking, our treehouse is a continuous source of good, clean, family fun and, if our kids are having fun at home, its easier to keep them safe and off the streets.
Because of these reasons, our treehouse has been a gift to all of us, but especially to Mom, the primary family nurturer who works continuously to keep our family together, occupied and happy.
So Dads, if you and Mom own a home and a yard, I have the perfect Mother's Day gift. You guessed it, a treehouse!

Fred and Linda Lundgren operate a web site specializing in treehouse plans and treehouse construction tips. Visit their site at

http://www.treehouseplans.bigstep.com/