I’m a mom, stepmom, and theatre educator helping exhausted parents access their inner creative playfulness for more connection and joy. No messy crafts, complicated setups, or sensory bins here! Just simple, silly moments that bring your family back together through laughter. My short weekly emails share reflections from real life and a simple invitation you can try for yourself or with your kids.
Hadn't cried in a WHILE until Friday evening...
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I am historically very emotional person. A CRIER. But to be vulnerable with you, since taking medication for my anxiety, the tears don't come as often. I'm not complaining, per se, because I still feel my feelings, just not quite as heightened all the time... but it is a little weird when I feel like I need to cry but kind of... can't? Anyway, last Friday an unexpected spider-related incident happened that made me really upset (I'M OKAY MOM, I know you're reading this, yes I'll text you!) and it led to a big old CRY. My friend Jen (yes, the one I wrote about in last week's email, she's having her moment in my email spotlight) said she likes to call it "cleaning out the pipes." At first I was kind of a jerk in my head about it... "I don't WANT to clean out my pipes with BAD stuff! HMPH! 😤" I snorted to myself. But then... just a couple hours later, I was driving the kids to meet up with some of our friends and there was a moment where my toddler was crying because she didn't want her seatbelt on... All three of them (yes, including herself) started singing the song we always sing to calm her down... and it was so so SO sweet and beautiful. Then, once she was calm again, we put back on the song we were listening to and they were all just bobbing their heads together and smiling at each other as they listened. WHEW! The tears came easily. Tears of gratitude, joy... the conscious thought of, "Oh. My. GOSH, this is the life I dreamed of." There was another moment later that night when I cried with gratitude again because my stepdaughter picked up all the ziplock bags lil sis had dumped out... all on her own, without me asking her too. I thought about what Jen said... I guess I HAD "cleaned out the pipes" a bit from the bad thing. But it made room for me to more deeply feel the GOOD things. And for that insight I'm very grateful. My invitation for you this week: If something sad or bad happens and you need to cry (and have the capacity)... maybe let yourself? You might just need to clear out your pipes a little so that you can really feel the good stuff, too. Cheering you on always, Mia 💞 MORE FROM PLAYFUL HEART PARENTING: My all-time favorite improv games for family connection! Prompt-based games and easy, silly moment ideas (1500+ prompts and counting!) 11 core strategies for using play as a tool for more ease and joy in parenting. |
Playful Heart Parenting
I’m a mom, stepmom, and theatre educator helping exhausted parents access their inner creative playfulness for more connection and joy. No messy crafts, complicated setups, or sensory bins here! Just simple, silly moments that bring your family back together through laughter. My short weekly emails share reflections from real life and a simple invitation you can try for yourself or with your kids.
I have a new, wonderful friend named Jen. We met in person here in Nashville at our mutual friend Eli’s book tour stop (shout out @attachmentnerd and her awesome new book!!), and Jen and I had one of these moments: We bonded immediately over our love for improv, fart humor, being stepmoms, and just general jolly weirdness. A few days later, she texted me that she was having her weekly “inner child date” and was using my new “What Should We Doodle” app (part of the PHP app bundle). She then...
Yesterday while I was on a call upstairs, my stepdaughter (10) ran up and said, “Mia, look! My nose changed” She was grinning, holding up a wrinkly piece of skin-colored clay that she’d shaped into a fake, pointy witch-looking nose. “Yes!! Put a wart on that thing, poke two holes in the side, and throw it in the oven. I’ll add string to it for you so you can wear it!” I said excitedly. She was thrilled. Several hours later, we put the finishing touches on her freshly baked witch nose and were...
My sis and her partner were here this past weekend and as usual there were lots of laughs.(If you’ve seen our FAMPROV videos… you know exactly the vibe!) Yesterday on the drive home from a park, my son (4) asked to play “Plot Twist” - making up a story together using prompts from my app.It ended up being one of my favorite little parts of the whole visit, because “Aunt Naddy” and “Tuncle” (tío + uncle) are professional improv performers and just so happen to be endlessly creative, hilarious,...