Do we play with our children, like really PLAY!? Get down on our knees, forget we are grownups, and REALLY PLAY?
So… today I woke up and decided that I was going to rebel!
I was going to rebel against cleaning, washing, laundry, and any of my “grown-up” responsibilities. It was going to be a PLAY DAY! Often we find ourselves so consumed by the parenting duties that we fall into the trap of being “invisible” to our children. Yes, routine is good, keeping up with our domestic responsibilities is important, and I try to live my life accordingly, but I also believe that sometimes we just need to rebel a little, take a “chill pill”, and play with the little ones that fill our homes with noise, joy and all things crazy and beautiful…
Let’s be honest… how often do we say, “not now”, “wait”, “give me 5 minutes”, or “I’m cleaning”, “I’m working”? And the list could go on and on! It’s not that we mean to be mean, but we are wired in a way that tends to make us think; if my house is clean, clothes are washed and the food is on the table then obviously (insert happy face), we are doing OK! But are we?
So yes, I decided to kick all responsibility out the door, get on the floor and just be a kid… And you know what… IT WAS GREAT! My kid’s loved it, I loved it, my husband ended up joining in (after work) and we had a blast!
So this is it… Nothing profound, just get down and play in a way that you have never played before… That is when we learn the most amazing, genuine, and heartfelt things about our children.
Yes! Grown-up responsibilities should sometimes be put on hold…
This is so true! I am fortunate enough to get a day off from work so use that for all my time consuming house chores which frees me to play in the afternoons. It’s when you get down on the floor that you see how your little one is developing and catch glimpses of their character. I so cherish this time I have with Elijah and the way he seems to enjoy my involvement. He was always there inviting me to play…I just had to accept that a sink of dishes that needed washing just wasn’t as important as playing with my boy! Let’s hope we both continue to ‘get down and play’ as often as we can.
Exactly! And it is great fun too! Much better than chores! Thanks Cass. :)