“Let’s make cars talk,” my son says as we navigate the stairs first thing in the morning. “OK sweetie,” I sleepily respond. This is pretty much our morning ritual. My son awakes early in the morning and immediately asks if we can play cars together. He loves to make up stories about his toy cars, and nothing thrills him more than when I play along, asking questions in a high-pitched car voice, racing around the house together and being fully engaged.
My daughter is too young to ask for a play date with mom, but she is adept at making her specific request clear. Most of the time, it involves bouncing on her soft toy donkey, on my belly, or dancing in circles until we’re ridiculously and breathlessly dizzy. Both of my children delight in all play activities and/or generally fooling around.
Of course, I have my moments when there seem to be five hundred pressing things to tackle and playing with my little ones is not a possibility, but more often than not, I make it a point to put play time on my priority list. I place it on my “to do” list for many reasons. The first is that I know my play dates with my children are finite. The simple truth is that there will come a day when my children decide that playing with mom is low on their list of priorities, and I will be replaced by the neighborhood kids, an iPad (oh, not ready for that one) or something else that is more appealing. I’m acutely aware of this fact, and I know it is inevitable so if right now my kids entertainment of choice is mom than bring it on!
The second is that children need and crave play time. Their brains thrive on the imagination that ensues as they turn an ordinary basement into a magical and magnificent castle complete with knights, horses, princesses, and kings. Their bodies relish the exercise of running, jumping, and dancing as they fend off dragons, sea monsters, and witches. But more than anything, they bask in feeling your love, presence, and appreciation for being what they are: fun-loving kids.
The third is that quite honestly it is good for the soul. In fact, I often find that when I put other issues at bay and lay on the floor with my kids for some good old fashion wrestling, tickling or messing around that I feel relaxed, refreshed, and genuinely happy - I too have fun. If everyone could spend a portion of the day playing and giggling with someone that they love, the world would be a better place - just imagine the possibilities. So, here’s to savoring play time with our children and honoring the kid in all of us.
Embrace Your MOMentum
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