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 was so proud of my stepdaughter for doing this weird thing
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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 cracking up, taking turns wearing it (jump scare pic of me below for proof): Even my toddler got in on it, grasping for it with her favorite phrase, “I need it!” When I reflected on this later on while lying in bed, I realized why this made me SO happy she’d done this. She’s at an age where kids start to worry more about what they look like and how they’re perceived. She’s got three teenage sisters who are on social media. Sometimes I worry she’ll lose her childlike playful spark, that willingness to be weird and goofy in exchange for appearing “cool.” But I think I’m projecting that on her. Because I did. Middle school was rough. I was introverted as can be (believe it or not, I still kind of am in many social settings). Didn’t have many friends and felt very embarrassed of my “weirdness” unless I was home being silly with my family. This witch nose moment snapped me back into reality: she IS still a kid. She is not afraid of being weird or silly. And even when she inevitably feels some pressure to be “cool” or hide her silliness in public… She’ll always know it’s safe to be her whole self here in our home. My invitation for you this week (a little deeper than my usual ones): Reflect on your own childhood. Was there a time you can remember being embarrassed of your silly side? I wonder what it would feel like to speak to that little you inside and let them know that that part is safe to come out now. Cheering you on always, Mia 💞 MORE FROM PLAYFUL HEART PARENTING: The best 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.
(Hey, that subject line rhymes!) We just got back from our first big family adventure visiting family across the country, and as usual I was in hustle-and-bustle mode, drenched in sweat from packing… already running late as usual for our fam… (Side note, I used garbage bags and then sat on them to press out all the air and semi-vacuum-seal our clothes and I felt like a GENIUS… I am going to pretend I discovered this so don’t correct me if I’m wrong, let me have this 🏆) When we got to security...
I recently got punched in the EYEBALL with the corner of a Rubik’s cube. It all started when I felt like I was CRUSHING it at being a mom, doing all of the following at once: Reading to my toddler on the couch (aka she was sitting on top of my chest and flipping the pages before I could read any of the words) Playing the “Jingle Game” with my 10yo stepdaughter, perched on the top of the couch - this is where we give each other random items and then make up a jingle together for them on the...
Father's Day morning was off to a rough start in our house... It was like each kid was taking turns having a hard time... which was then making me more stressed than usual because of the pressure of it to be a happy day for my husband. (Ugh, holidays can be so weird like that you know??) I had a picture in my head of how it was going to go and it was quickly disintegrating. Once everyone was semi-chill and together on the couch, I grabbed the "Dad Libs" I'd made for the Father's Day games and...