A little full-circle moment. 🥹

I've always been a playful person who thrives on silliness, but when I first became a parent (as a stepmom), playfulness did NOT come naturally to me.

I was so caught up in all the "shoulds" of parenting, putting extreme pressure on myself to do everything "right."

In hindsight, I can see I was taking myself a little too seriously, which left little room for silliness and play.

Sure, I was still fun and playful when the mood was good and things felt calm. But I hadn't yet realized how valuable playfulness could be during the challenging parts of parenting, too.

Fast forward a few years, after the birth of my son and as I was coming out of postpartum anxiety, I started feeling like myself again.

I was reconnecting with my playful side, noticing the immense difference it made in our whole family dynamic, and realizing that playfulness had been a missing piece in my parenting.

That realization eventually led me to start Playful Heart Parenting, and the rest is history! 🥰

Around the time I started Playful Heart Parenting, I remember walking around my neighborhood listening to a podcast featuring Australian speaker and author Lael Stone.

She was talking about the importance of play in parenting, and I just LIT UP inside.

"YES!!!"

I hadn't heard many people talking about play in this way.

Sure, we all know it's good to play with our kids. But she was explaining why it matters so much, including how play can help balance out the power dynamic between parents and children.

It was so validating to hear someone putting words to what I'd been experiencing in my own family.

Well, fast forward again, and Lael and I are now internet friends. 🥹

(She's also an incredibly kind human. I'll never forget sobbing in my car on the way home from the hospital while my daughter was in the NICU, listening to the comforting voice messages Lael had sent me.)

She has this wonderfully calming presence that instantly makes you feel safe and comfortable being yourself.

And now, in a very full-circle moment, I'm a guest on HER podcast! 🤯

We had such a lovely conversation on Humans, Being, diving into things I don't always get to explore in depth on social media, like:

• Why playfulness doesn't necessarily come naturally when we become parents, even if we're naturally playful people
• Why playfulness takes practice
• How to stay attuned to our kids and recognize when play is (and isn't) appropriate
• Some of my favorite ways to play with kids of different ages

I listened back and, to my delightful surprise, I didn't make a total doofus out of myself! (Or maybe I did, because that's kind of my brand?? 😂)

My invitation for you this week:

If you're feeling not quite as playful in your parenting as you'd like to be, I hope my story reminds you that playfulness isn't something you either have or you don't.

Even as someone who's loved silliness my whole life, I've had to learn how to bring it into my parenting, especially when things feel hard.

And I'm still practicing.

You don't have to make everything into a game or have a silly response ready for every challenging moment. (I sure don't!!)

Sometimes "practicing" playfulness is as simple as noticing one little opportunity to be silly that you might have missed before.

The more you practice looking for those moments, the easier they can become to spot!

And PSST... if you're here reading this, you're already making room for more playfulness in your parenting. That counts, big-time! 👏

Cheering you on always,

Mia

P.S. 🦃 In case you missed it, my new free Turkey Day Play printable has 25 simple games and activities to get everyone laughing together this Thanksgiving! Tap HERE download, print, and enjoy some gravy-flavored fun!