One of the only things that is consistent when you become a parent is… advice. You get it and give it, and as much as I try to stay away from giving it, because I am far from being an expert on anything, I am just as guilty. One bit of gift advice every parent hears from every other parent, during the gift giving season, is “Your kid will like and play with the box more than the contents of that box.” It’s sad but true! And like most people this time of year, in preparation for Christmas, we have been getting a lot of deliveries in a lot of boxes, which means my five year-old is in heaven! For some unexplained reason, Azul always ends up in a box and always has.

There must something magical about a box, some draw we lose as adults, just like the desire to skip everywhere you go, or dancing with your whole body and not being worried if someone is watching, or laughing so hard you flop to the ground. Or maybe there is no magical draw, but something much deeper, all of it could just be the magic of being a child. Next delivery, I’m going to follow Azul’s advice and play in a box too; maybe I can let go of adulthood for a little while and rediscover the magic of childhood. Sometimes some of the best parenting advice you can actually get, comes not from another parent, but from your child.