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?
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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.
There’s this trend on social media, maybe you’ve seen it - short videos saying… “I’m bored. Tell me your wildest hack for ___. I don’t mean basic, I mean unhinged.” Honestly though some of those comment sections have some really interesting tips! But what I get hung up on is like… You’re “BORED??” Adults get bored? I don’t! I don’t have the time or space to be bored. I wish I could be bored! I don’t think parents even remember what it feels like to be bored. Right? Maybe… and I’m literally...
“I know the truth.” That’s the mantra I’ve developed over the last few years. When I started Playful Heart Parenting I thought I’d have to grow “thicker skin” to deal with criticism on the internet. It felt like part of the deal. No way around it. What I didn’t know yet is that the criticism would sometimes bleed into my real, non-internet life too, from people who know me personally. But guess what? Two and a half years later, I have not grown thicker skin. Criticism still stings. It still...
“This room is driving me CRAZY!” I huffed as I pushed a couch to the other side of the room while holding a clingy baby on my hip The living room was crammed with stuff, the furniture so oddly arranged that walking wasn’t even possible. “Why is it driving you crazy? It’s just a room!” My 3yo… The voice of innocence… and wisdom!! All I could do was laugh. Because he was RIGHT! It reminded me of a song that Leah S., one of the parents in the first round of Activate Play Mode, made up. The...