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.
How are we gonna teach them to be responsible if we make things fun?
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Recently I shared one of our favorite ways to get in pajamas... I say, "Who wants to do an Abra-pajama?" and then the kids pose while I film them saying "Abra-pa..." in their normal clothes - then I pause the video - then they rush to get in PJs - then I resume the video once they're back in their original pose and they say "-JAMA!" And it's like a magic trick! (aka a "transition video") (here's the video if you want a little more explanation!) Lotttts of parents tried this with their kids and loved it, which made me so happy! But I did get a few comments that brought up something worth talking about... Comments like this: Here's what I wanna say about this: Playfulness and responsibility are not opposites. (and playfulness is a way of connecting, which is very different from the transactional nature of bribery). Adults make tasks more enjoyable all the time, right? We listen to music while cleaning, call a friend while walking, put on a podcast while folding laundry... some of us (👋🏼) even like making time lapse videos when tidying up to see the satisfying transition or puting on a timer to challenge ourselves to put the dishes away in three minutes! The task still gets done. We're just removing some of the "BLAH" feeling from it! Same goes for kids. I'm not trying to raise kids who need everything to be made fun. I'm raising kids who know that responsibility and joy can coexist. Getting dressed, brushing teeth, cleaning up, following through... those things don't always need to be paired with stress and a power struggle. Life is gonna give them plenty of opportunities to practice hard things, and I'm certainly teaching my kids the reasons behind why we do what we do as well. But the truth is none of us need more seriousness. All of us need more joy. And sometimes that joy comes from pretending the pajamas are magical. My invitation for you this week: Take a moment to wonder: What did I learn growing up about responsibility and fun? Is there any part of that story that could soften a little? Cheering you on always, Mia 💞 P.S. I made a FREE Father's Day Fun pack with silly little mini-games to celebrate Dad! It's like a Dad-themed version of some of my favorite games from my app bundle. Tap the link below to print it out and play! 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.
My nervous system was shot the other day and I was really on edge and agitated. I felt stuck in “serious mode.” Part of me knew that if I could “activate play mode” even just a little bit, we could all feel a little better. But another part of me was like: “NO. I don’t WANT to lighten up right now. I deserve to feel this way!” It’s true, I did deserve to feel that way. AND yet there was also this tiny voice asking: What if you let go of clinging to serious mode… just for a minute? That...
Steve and I were overdue for a date night, and luckily, the stars aligned for that to happen last Friday night. When we finished dinner, we realized we had a whole hour before we needed to head home... Steve said, "So, what do you wanna do now?" "Honestly?" I said, "I want to find a bench to sit on with you and play games." "Okay," he said. He knew it would make me so happy. But little did he know HE was the one who was going to end up like THIS: Yep. That's my husband who was laughing so...
Yesterday our dear friends were over and just before it was time for them to go home, the witching hour had started. My son’s best friend was running around, sticking out his tongue and blowing wet raspberries at everyone, spit included. actual footage We told him to stop. We told him “spit stays in your mouth.” But it was the end of a long day, and he literally was not hearing us… you know when kids are dysregulated and just on another level? It was that. To make matters worse, my son picked...