At My House

To my Grandchildren 

At my house,

I want you to get messy,

to be messy, to mess up.

I want you to paint with 

your fingers and your toes,

and I won't even get mad

if you get paint on the table

or the walls.

I want you to play outside

in the mud and 

track it through my house,

so we can slip and slide
on giant soapsuds

as we clean it up.

I want you to splash in puddles,

to blow bubbles in your drink

and hang spoons on your nose

just because it's fun.

I want you to remember

that laughing is the

best feeling ever,

especially the laughter

that comes with love.