3. If you could create a “man cave” for yourself, what would it look like?
Back when my kids were young Pat rambled on about a man cave for years. First, it started in the garage and the potential for some serious masculinity to happen in there. I’m not sure exactly what he was envisioning. A tiled floor? Shelves of organized power tools? A recliner and flat screen tv? Eventually I filled the space with strollers and bikes and used daycare furniture and you better believe he grumbled about every shifted screwdriver.
He grumbled his way into our spare room and set his prospects on a new man cave there. This man cave would store his collectible comic books. He would have shelves of sports cards categorized by sport and athlete arranged by year or date of birth or whatever. He would have an extended office desk made of wood imported from India and on it he would have three flat-screen computer monitors arranged to view current trends in the stock market.
He grumbled again when I moved Kainoa’s old crib and the mouse cage and my computer into his future “man cave” and I had finally had enough.
A man cave? Why in the world does a man need a cave? It’s not like the children were swinging themselves from his legs, begging for food all day like they did to me. It’s not like he had to listen to a three-year-old screaming “no” while running naked up and down the hallways. It’s not like he had to get anyone ready for school each morning. He didn’t have to field countless questions about how babies are born…
Quite the opposite actually. Pat comes home from work at 5pm and there were just a few hours of interaction before kids went to bed and he would retire to his “lair” for the evening and that’s it. All fun and games!
So why?
Pray tell.
Do men need a room filled with their precious tools, gadgets, sports paraphernalia etc?
More importantly…where?
Pray tell.
Is MY man cave?
Where is my safe harbor? Why would I find myself crammed between a toilet and a wall with my hand covering one ear and a phone jammed into the other? Why would I find myself army crawling through the garage and into the warm embrace of a god-forsaken minivan for a recharge and some chocolate while my husband kicked back in a recliner with a cold beer?
Where’s my man cave??
When I came to Pat with my problem he responded quickly with the obvious answer, “the kitchen is your man cave”.
The….kitchen? Is my man cave? THE KITCHEN!?!
The one room in the house where demands are at the height of their demandliest? Where I am expected to prepare, cook, clean, scrub, bake, and serve every member of this household. I don’t know who decided that the woman got to be the domestic goddess in the kitchen and that the man got to rest his poor tired bones in a tricked-out man cave, but I’m demanding a re-vote and I’m taking the man cave.
I am. TAKING…the man cave!
Now it’s your turn!
Choose a prompt, post it on your blog, and come back to add your name to the link list below. Be sure to sign up with the actual post URL and not just your basic blog URL (click on the title of your post for that URL). For good comment karma try to comment on the three blogs above your name!!
The Prompts:
1. Write about a memorable class you took. What did you learn?
2. A list of 10 ideas to make this your best year yet.
3. If you could create a “man cave” for yourself, what would it look like?
4. Write a blog post inspired by the word: cost.
5. Share something that made you laugh this week.
John Holton says
I don’t really have a “man cave.” When I sit at the computer and put my headphones on, that’s my man cave. Mary has a room in the basement, fully carpeted with its own full bathroom, but usually just sits in the living room, where she has a nice recliner.
I think you need a bigger house…. either that, or maybe wait until one of the kids moves out?