First off, I think we can all agree there’s no better sound than a little kid belly laugh, right?

Right.

I sometimes forget just how easily and freely kids are ready to belly laugh, but the other day I got a reminder.

I was sitting on the couch and my cranky 2-year-old (who’d skipped her nap) pushed against me.

On a whim, I pretended she’d been strong enough to push me all the way off the couch and dramatically rolled onto the floor with a silly, “Whoaaaa!”

She laughed SO hard.

I climbed back onto the couch, she gave me another playful push, and over I went again.

She cackled until she ran out of breath.

After a few rounds, she came over and said, “I’ll help you up,” pulling my arm to help me sit up.

Then… a great big tight toddler hug. 😭😭😭

I get asked a lot if this kind of thing teaches kids it’s funny to hurt others.

The answer is no. Kids know the difference between silly and serious.

In fact, this has been studied. It’s called power reversal play.

When we play the silly, weak, confused, or frightened one and let them be the strong, clever, powerful one, it gives kids a healthy release from the powerlessness that naturally comes with being a child.

btw... I first learned about this concept from Lawrence Cohen, Ph.D., author of Playful Parenting, and Aletha Solter, Ph.D., author of Attachment Play. Both books were huge lightbulb moments for me and I highly recommend them!

Many of us already do this naturally with our kids without even realizing how beneficial it is for our kids and our bond with them.

Once you understand why kids love this kind of play so much, it becomes much easier to prioritize. 💞

My invitation for you this week:

Find one little power reversal moment to share with your kids.

Ideas:

• Pretend to read a book upside down.
• Let them “scare” you with a loud roar.
• Pretend to forget how to do something simple.
• Fall off the couch when they barely touch you.

Cheering you on always,

Mia 💞

P.S. Reminder - if you are an Activate Play Mode member, we just moved our community onto the Circle app and it's AWESOME! So easy to chat with each other, and yes I am active in the group! This is included with your APM purchase, no matter when you grabbed it, so if you haven't seen an invite from me, reply here and I'll make sure to get you in there. 🥰

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