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.
Is it our “job” to play?
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There’s a big debate on social media about independent play vs. interactive play. “Play is the work of children. It’s not our job to play with our kids!” I see it all the time—hundreds of parents (who struggle with playfulness) jumping in and shouting, “Yes! THANK YOU! I hate playing, and now I don’t have to!” You might be surprised to hear this… …I don’t totally disagree. Despite what it might look like on my Instagram, I’m not playing with my kids all day. Most of the time, they’re playing on their own. And while I talk a lot about collaborative play, independent play is just as important in our home. You won’t often catch me on the floor building with magnatiles or even coloring. And if my son’s happily playing with his monster trucks, I’m not jumping in with, “Hey, I’ll be the red one!” Kids don’t need us to interrupt like that. AND, interactive play is a huge part of our family’s dynamic too. It’s a joyful way to connect that really matters to the kids and is fun for us, too. Is it the only way to connect? No. But it’s a big one. So, which is better? Independent or interactive play? I just think it’s a silly question. They’re both wonderful for different reasons!😉 Here’s my invitation for you this week: • When you see your child playing independently, stay curious from a distance. Just watch. It’s amazing what they process through play. • If they invite you to join and you’re up for it, jump in without worrying that it’s disruptive. Trust me, one type of play doesn’t cancel out the other. Love, Mia _________________________________
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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.
The other night, when I was fatigued and had a sore throat, my stepdaughter (10) said, “Hey. You’re not happy. Let’s play a game.” Ohhh that made my heart so happy that she noticed this and wanted to play to cheer me up with a game—our favorite way to connect! 🥹 AND, I didn’t know if I had much capacity to even talk… and most of our favorite games require a bit of that. My son (4) then said, “I know what we should play!” and he ran over with a piece of paper and pen. “The drawing a person...
I was EXTREMELY grumpy last Friday night… The kids wanted to paint and there’s just something about paint with little kiddos that gets to me if I'm not in the right headspace to manage it. On top of that, 1.5yo little gal kept getting hurt… first her finger got smashed in the door while I was going in and out getting supplies… THEN she somehow busted open the little ice pack for her finger while I was trying to get her dinner and I freaked out that she was going to eat the gel inside and be...
Did Easter sneak up on me? YES. Did I scramble to put this together last night? Also yes! But I’m so excited to print, cut, and pop these prompts into the plastic eggs for some extra fun this weekend. I also really like the idea of not make everything about the candy and little “stuff” that inevitably gets trashed or clutters the house even more. So, if you’re like me and this is sneaking up on your last-minute, here you go!! Silly prompts and mini-games to hide in the eggs (or just play even...