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.
PROOF that goofing around is productive!
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Yesterday I did something I haven’t done in four years. I went into the studio to record harmonies on an album. This was for a producer I used to work with a lot… …until I gave birth to my son. Last time I was in there I was super pregnant. It was like time traveling, because it had felt like such a long time and also not a long time at all. This was a big deal for me because it was like getting a big part of myself back that I had been missing! 🥺 Singing harmonies is good for my soul and getting to do it professionally is still a pinch-me experience. BUT, I also realized something huge as I was driving home. There’s a big reason that singing in THIS specific studio with THIS producer and engineer brings me so much joy (and why when the text came in asking to come back, I immediately reached out to all my friends asking for babysitter recommendations)! It’s the jokes. We always joke around and are just silly and ridiculous throughout the sessions there. And it doesn’t mean we don’t take the work seriously! Quite the opposite; we all care very much about getting it right and how it all sounds and feels. It's that we don't take ourselves seriously. A BIG part of it feeling and sounding right is actually the atmosphere that the producer there cultivates by being funny and warm and not so serious. I realized that is truly what enables me to feel confident and do my best job. When I’m singing there, my inner critic is nowhere to be found (and that’s saying a lot). When I mess up, he doesn’t say, “That was a little pitchy” or “That’s not the right tone…” He says, “Sounding goooood, let’s try another pass! This time why don’t we try…” and there are little moments of humor sprinkled in. Like when we started rhyming back and forth on the mic “Hey, it’s Bruce the Produce (referring to the studio dog, Moose, who I accidentally called Bruce)… …He just wants you to let loose… …Look at that tree, is that a spruce?… …No way you silly goose… …Okay, let’s call a truce…” (Yes, this was a real conversation but it actually went on even longer, and it was in between takes!) Sure, this could easily be seen as a waste of time or like we’re not getting down to business, but it’s all very important. It looses me up and relaxes me and THAT enables me to sing freely and from the heart (with minimal overthinking). So on my way home, I was reflecting on all this and BOOM it hit me that this is so applicable to my message here about our relationships with our kids. When we lead with warmth, humor, and not taking things so seriously… …when we can put away the constant urgency and intentionally prioritize laughter… It is productive. But more than that… it’s joyful. And joy is something worth making space for. (that's a lot of bold words, but it all felt important!) My invitation for you this week: See how many little “jokes” you can sneak in. Even if it feels like there’s not enough time. Cheering you on always, MORE FROM PLAYFUL HEART PARENTING: Done-for-you fun. Simple, creative apps that take the brainwork out and put connection and laughter in. LITTLE MOMENTS FOR BIG LAUGHS: Quick and easy, random, silly moments to share with your kids. The program for you if you feel like the “fun version” of you has left the building. 🫶 |
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 knew Saturday was also my only day to get some work done, uninterrupted, but I also knew that we needed at least a few minutes together as a family to just be together and laugh. My son, as always, had wild energy (it seems to be getting more and more wild as he approaches age 4… who can relate??) ...and I was proud of him for asking, “Can we play ‘Who can sound like?’” where I give him weird, silly prompts to channel his loudness. I shifted from that game to “You are…” so I could give him...
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...