When I go to play-n-stay or mummy-and-me or visit the local park, I am appalled at how many parents are sitting on benches reading or chatting to each other. But they are missing a vital opportunity to be a part of their children’s lives and games. I want to share with you some of the joys that my daughter and I enjoyed this week.
Today we play Hide-n-Seek; modified for a three year old, of course. We laughed and laughed as she ‘found’ my obvious hiding places, like the bag for life over my head. And I ignored his shape still visible from inside his game store; calling her name like he can’t see her. She laughed and I laughed. But there were also lessons like counting to ten. It was a really fun way to instill that knowledge. There were other times as well, like being told it was too big for the slide or their tent.
But the best dividend to our playtime came when she was talking to her key worker at daycare this week. She promised that my daughter’s use of her imagination was impressive. Of course, this followed encounters in which my daughter was a mother and her worker / teacher was her baby. But as a writer and creative person, I considered it a great compliment.
I realize that in our busy world there can be an endless list of things to do. It can be challenging to make time to play with our children. But the pleasure of doing it is priceless … and even adults need to loosen up and play from time to time.