Lives can be so hectic, especially with working and raising a family. One thing I have been trying really hard with over the last year or so is to strive for at least 30 minutes a day of uninterrupted play time with my girls. They decide everything. What we play, how we play it, and what role I will have. I love seeing them just take over completely. They immediately begin to direct me from one place to another and I can sense the excitement in their voices of perhaps feeling a sense of control. As a parent, it can be really hard to not want to control parts of this play. Once, at the end of a particularly stressful day, my daughter began to dump out a huge bin of toys that had just been cleaned and organized earlier in the day. It was difficult, extremely difficult, to not automatically say, "let's not dump it out" or "let's find something else to play with." However, I bit my tongue and let her proceed. Of course, we also include a ten minute clean up time afterwards to help us with any messes.
I have to admit, there are many days I do not want to sit in the floor and just play and be told what to do. I am a tired mom and have worked all day as well. But I know the excitement my kids have when they can just sit and play with us (my husband will usually join in). They actually look forward to it. I've had my daughter wake up first thing in the morning and tell me that she's already thought about what family playtime will be for that night. It's a special time for them because they know that they have complete control over the time. It is not an activity that I have gathered for them, or something that I try and control in any way. As long as it is safe, I'm pretty much up for it. Our 30 minutes usually exceeds into the hour range before we finally stop for baths.
During our play time, I always try and engage them in conversation about what they are doing. If my daughter wants me to be a queen and pretend to be chased by a dragon, I might say, "tell me more about this queen" or "what does her castle look like?" I love seeing their imagination and creativity come out. I have also noticed on days where we aren't able to fit this special playtime in for one reason or another, my girls seem more frustrated or get upset easier. Their lives, even as young girls, as still pretty controlled. They have to be up at a certain time, school for several hours, help with cleaning, etc. This playtime is a part of their day that they completely control and honestly...we all need some of that!
No comments:
Post a Comment