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.
The games we played when our flight was delayed
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(Hey, that subject line rhymes!) We just got back from our first big family adventure visiting family across the country, and as usual I was in hustle-and-bustle mode, drenched in sweat from packing… already running late as usual for our fam… (Side note, I used garbage bags and then sat on them to press out all the air and semi-vacuum-seal our clothes and I felt like a GENIUS… I am going to pretend I discovered this so don’t correct me if I’m wrong, let me have this 🏆) When we got to security there was a man who, to put it as nicely as possible, seemed annoyed with everyone’s existence. I am a big absorber of other people’s energy so try as I might to shrug it, it was getting to me and only adding to my anxiety. (Shout out to the guy right afterwards who took the time to tell a penguin joke to my stepdaughter… we needed that 180 in energy!!) We scurried through to get some food and as soon as we ordered- PING! Our phones got the text our flight was delayed. We sat down to eat- PING! Delayed a little more. Normally I’d be disappointed, but not this time. *PHEW* I breathed a sigh of relief. We can unclench. The kids can take their time eating. I can savor my coffee! Everyone can poop! 🤣 And best of all… we had a little breathing room to play a game. All I did was say “Once…” and pointed to 10yo. “Upon…” she added with a smile “A time, there was a cookie named Harold!!” chimed in 4yo. What followed was a cute, silly story about a word traveling cookie who took a helicopter ride over the ocean to see dolphins but started to disintegrate because of the sea water. Harold ended up getting cookie-surgery and put back together (before he was eaten. Yes, it did get dark at the end, sorry Harold) We told a couple more stories and played a couple other improv games (including “interrogation”) that we love and LITTLE to my surprise, it helped *me* settle into my body. Connecting with my kids, using my brain for creativity and silliness (instead of worrying), and hearing them giggle was exactly what I needed to bust of of serious-stress-mode (By the way, I’m not judging myself or anyone else for being stressed traveling with three kids in an airport. It’s a lotttt). My invitation for you this week: We go through life with such a sense of urgency, but not everything is always as urgent as needing to catch a flight. This week, see if there’s a moment that doesn’t truly have to be as urgent as you feel. Try telling a story one word a time, playing “I make the face, you make the sound,” or bawking a melody like a chicken and seeing if everyone else can guess which song it is. Cheering you on always, Mia 💞 P.S. I’m behind on answering emails and DMs due to traveling, so if you have reached out and are waiting on a response from me, I hope to get back to everyone this coming week. If you haven’t heard from my by Friday, feel free to ping me again! 🥰 MORE FROM PLAYFUL HEART PARENTING: My all-time favorite improv games for family connection! Prompt-based games and easy, silly moment ideas (1500+ prompts and counting!) 11 core strategies for using play as a tool for more ease and joy in parenting. Includes lifetime course access and private community. |
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.
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