$ Our Pricey Sofa $

When I was pregnant with our first child, John and I went couch shopping one Sunday afternoon. We soon came across a gorgeous sectional sofa that would fit perfectly in our new home. It was a bit pricey, but hey, it’s an investment piece, right? (And by "a bit pricey" I mean I am way too embarrassed to ever tell you what it actually cost.)

“Are we sure this is the couch we want?” I asked John. “You know how hard kids are on furniture.”

“Yes,” replied my wise spouse, “because we will teach our children to respect our things.”

Of course that logic seemed perfectly rational to me at the time. Four years later our sofa has been the victim of everything from forgotten popsicles to toddler scribbles and, on one occasion, an entire bottle of balsamic vinaigrette.

Oh, but when the sofa was new and our first little baby was not yet mobile, back when we thought we had this whole parenting thing under control, we had rules to ensure our sectional stayed looking pristine. Shoes were not allowed on the sofa. Eating was not allowed on the sofa. My husband even came up with a rule that we should rotate our seating positions so that each cushion received equal wear. (Yeah. I’m not the only perfectionist in the family.)

We actually bought a warranty to protect our investment and, let me tell you, I used the heck out of that thing. Until the last time I called and they gave me some crap about the overall condition of the sofa being too poor to qualify for the warranty service anymore. Jerks. (Not that I'm still mad about it or anything.)

But I digress.

Here is how we used the sofa before we had children: 

Sitting.

Here is how we now use our sofa:

Cuddling

Hide and seeking

Fort making

Team cheering

Spaceman launching

Baby napping

Cartoon watching

Cave exploring

Mountain climbing?

Our pricey sofa is currently covered in tiny fingerprints, smudges and even some crusty slime droplets. Goldfish crackers and superhero action figures can be found smashed between the cushions and John and I are now much more concerned with dodging little boy acrobatics than rotating our seating positions. 

Yes, our pricey sofa is no longer pristine.

But you know what? I think I like it better this way.

"I totally respect the furniture, Dad!"