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 therapist told me to do this and she was RIGHT!
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Welp... just realized I never sent an email last week! If I didn't notice, I'm willing to bet nobody else did either... but just in case you were sad about it, here's this week's email a day early 😂 I recently told my therapist that, other than playing games as a family, I don't really do anything to relax and unwind that's just for ME. Some of my friends read fantasy romance novels. Some watch TV shows. I don't really have a "thing" and whenever I have downtime I find myself trying to cram in more "learning" rather than consuming things just for fun. (example: listening to podcasts on how to run a business! 🤪) I'm all about prioritizing joy, so that sounds so opposite to everything I stand for, right?! So my brilliant therapist suggested listening to Amy Poehler's podcast Good Hang and let me tell you: BEST ADVICE EVER. I now binge-listen any chance I get: in the shower, folding laundry, in the car, on a walk... It's just so joyful. And who doesn't love Amy Poehler? She embodies all the things I love about life and I laugh out loud every single episode at least once (many times with the Jack Black, Rachel Dratch, and Jonathan Groff episodes) And one really cool thing: by making space for joy and fun by prioritizing this podcast, I am actually having lightbulb moments that feel very "productive." For example, I was listening to Amy talk with Katherine Hahn the other day and I actually paused the show to write down a direct quote from Amy:
"Fun dumb things to me are a love language. It proves safety. If you’re relaxed enough to do fun dumb things then you’re in the right place."
I MEAN!! 👏 It's my exactly philosophy when it comes to playfulness! And to hear Amy put it into those words felt so validating. This fun, silly stuff is not trivial. We need it, not just for our relationships with our kids but in our relationships with adult friendships and coworkers. Just in life! I know I'm preaching that all the time, so I wanted to share it today with you to say, hey, don't just take my word for it -- Amy's backing me up on this! 💞 My invitation for you this week: Honestly just check out Amy's podcast. It's so good. Or really just anything that isn't for the sake of being "productive" - something that makes you laugh or is just for the sake of joy. It never feels like we have time for it, but there is always a way to make time, and it is always worth it. Cheering you on always, Mia P.S. Speaking of Amy Poehler, improv QUEEN, my FAMPROV resource comes out this Thursday, March 19th! That means there are a couple more days to pre-order it at the earlybird price. I have loved working on this, rediscovering favorite games that have brought so much laughter to my family, and I'm so excited for more parents to have access to this digital library of fun family improv games for connection. TAP HERE for more info. MORE FROM PLAYFUL HEART PARENTING: PRE-ORDER FAMPROV: Family improv games for connection! A digital library with demonstration videos plus printable guide of fun improv games to bring you closer together through laughter and creativity. Simple, creative apps + printable card decks with 1400+ prompts that take the brainwork out and put connection and laughter in! Playful strategies for navigating everyday parenting challenges and reducing power struggles. |
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 back into doing at-home dance workouts. Aside from walking, this is truly the only form of exercise I enjoy, and it’s been YEARS. Why do I love it so much? Because it’s fun, challenging in an enjoyable way, and brings back a big part of myself (the performer part)! But what I didn’t expect to happen was for it to become a new bonding activity for me and my 10yo stepdaughter! Surprisingly, she’s taken an interest in doing the dance workouts with me when she’s here, and I have to...
I’m writing this sandwiched between two sweaty snoring babies so I’m keeping it short (Okay so they’re 4 and almost 2 but… I’m still calling them babies, okay?? 😭) If you know me you know I lovvvve my word-a-time games like One Word Story/Commercial/Complaint Letter/Love Letter… Add “One Word Warning” to the top of the list because it’s our new fave. You simply make up a ridiculous warning together by alternating every other word. When I played with my stepdaughter (10) the other night the...
In case you missed it... a couple months back I shared a video of my stepdaughter and me playing our favorite game: "One Word Commercial," where we make up a fake commercial on the spot, trading off every other word. It ended being about ointment for an itchy butt... but with lots of disastrous side effects. The video went viral, with folks chiming in with their own playful comments and excitement to try this with their own families (yay!!) (If you want to watch it after you read the rest of...