Quick, honest reflections on parenting, playfulness, and finding more joy in everyday family life, each with one simple idea to try. Browse the latest reads below, and subscribe to never miss one in your inbox each Tuesday.
That time I jumped rope with my own toe hair
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I got a comment on Instagram the other day that got under my skin and I just couldn't shake the frustration... ...even after a magnificent therapy call that just happened to be right after I saw said comment! I was sharing my frustrations and my hurt with my pal Jen (yes the same Jen I always talk about here). She is also a content creator and just GETS it. I vented, she listened, validated, we had the whole convo, but THEN, before moving on with the day, Jen said: I was thinking she was going to tell me to do some kind of self-carey-deep-breathing or something, but nope. She said, "Can you tell me about the time your toe hair had grown so long you could jump rope with it?"
Without thinking, I hit "record" and sent her a 2-minute voice message all about an imaginary story of me camping in the mountains for weeks on end (I would never), and not realizing how long my toe hair had grown and how it was so coarse and strong I figured out how to double dutch with it. This flipped my mood instantly. I was cracking myself up. I was focused on this ridiculous story so, while I hadn't forgotten about the mean comment, I was not letting it consume me. Why did Jen ask me to do this? Because we’ve talked about how powerful a little playfulness can be for easing tension and reconnecting, both with our kids and ourselves. Who knew that spinning a tall tale about toe hair would help me return to center? Jen knew! And I'm glad. After sharing another story about this game recently, when we played at dinner and my husband told a story about mouse hiding in his underwear, a mom emailed me and requested I make an app for it and add it to the Silly Moments Bundle. So that's exactly what I did! Silly Moments peeps, refresh your app, and you'll now "Tell Me About the Time" there, along with some other little tweaks (more to come). Psst... If you don't have it, here's the link with all the info! My invitation for you this week: It doesn't always feel right to jump into playfulness or silliness when big feelings are involved (ours, or our kids!) but after processing the feelings, it can be so helpful to use play to get back to center. Try this game, and if you need a prompt, here's another fave from yours truly: "Tell me about the time a beaver thought your leg was a log and tried to steal it!" (IF YOU EMAIL ME TELLING ME THIS STORY I WILL LOVE YOU FOREVER) Cheering you on always, Mia P.S. I made a new Halloween FREEBIE with 25 easy silly moments to share with your kids: Tap HERE to download it! More from Playful Heart Parenting:Activate Play Mode brings all of my favorite tools together in one place, including our parent community, private podcast, improv games, and the Silly Moments Bundle, with thousands of playful ideas to make play part of everyday parenting. |
The Playful Heart Journal
Quick, honest reflections on parenting, playfulness, and finding more joy in everyday family life, each with one simple idea to try. Browse the latest reads below, and subscribe to never miss one in your inbox each Tuesday.
“Mom, you’re being a little bit meaner than usual,” said my son, sniffling in the backseat. UGH. He was right. 😮💨 We'd been running late (a stress trigger for me), he was emotional and having a hard time getting ready, I’d been up working since 5 a.m., and, in hindsight, I’d barely eaten anything. Apparently you’re supposed to consume 5 billion grams of protein before drinking coffee. I usually do it the other way around... 5 billion grams of coffee first. Anyway, none of my usual playful...
We were listening to old plot twist recordings in the car the other day (silly stories we made up together in the plot twist app that’s included in the Silly Moments Bundle) and one in particular made me teary-eyed. It was a story about a fox named “Hedge Barnit” (my son comes up with the best character names). The fox constantly knocked things over with his tail, so all the forest creatures would say “Oh, darn it, here comes Hedge Barnit) when they noticed him coming… Aside from laughing at...
I sent my friend Jen my new free Play Break Bingo sheet (25 squares of silly play ideas) as soon as I'd finished it... and she sent me back a video of her acting out one of the "Make This Face" prompts which said "You just tooted and it sounded exactly like 'Twinkle Twinkle Little Star'" Her interpretation was so hilarious and delightful I laughed out loud and immediately felt some of my stress from the day melt away. She challenged me to another bingo square that says "Make This Face: You...