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.
Moms… can I get real with you for a sec?
|
I’ve seen this study going around on social media that kind of bothers me: It says mothers get more oxytocin from cuddling their kids and dads get more oxytocin from playing with their kids. The study itself doesn’t bother me. It’s the hundreds of comments saying: “I hate playing with my kids. My husband's the fun one, I’m the nurturing one. Good to know it’s just science.” And my most viral reel? My husband. The world loves a fun dad. Here’s what the stigma seems to be: Dads = fun, silly, playful Moms = nurturing, carrying the mental load, nagging, all the NOT-fun stuff. That’s some B.S. — sorry, I said it! Moms, I’m here to tell you: we get to be nurturing AND fun. “Fun” can be silly and simple. Doesn’t have to be rough-and-tumble. Example: My son and I used a “magic wand” to freeze and unfreeze each other today and he was squealing with laughter. It’s already been my favorite part of the day. What are your thoughts on this? Reply and let me know — I’d love to hear! Love, Mia P.S. Here’s a message from a mom yesterday that sparked this email: “I started using your free ideas for being silly and it has magically diffused so many almost-tense moments. It's made me feel so much more real, relaxed, and not stressed. I always hated that my husband was the "fun one,” but now I feel happy having even fifteen mins of silly time!” P.P.S. Have you saved that list yet? Here it is: 25 Easy Silly Moments updated.pdf P.P.P.S. I'm experimenting with sending short, weekly emails like this to keep in touch with you. I'll still be posting on Instagram, but shifting my focus to be more personal here. That algorithm is crazy and I never know if even 1% of followers will see my content -- so thank you in advance for sticking around! 🙏🏽 |
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 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...
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...