The Daily Reminder - Day 2: Kids + Play

Let me be honest about something. Right now, I am not great at playing.I used to be GREAT at playing. And then somewhere along the line, I stopped being good at it. I started being too busy, too tired, too annoyed. EEK.It isn't that my body isn't physically capable of playing. I am blessed to have a pretty decent body who can keep up with 4 kids (most of the time - keep in mind...NO ONE is keeping up with my 9-year-old - he literally has energy for days!!). It is just that I am too lazy or believe I will become too "stressed" if I don't finish whatever task I have in front of me. Remember that to-do list?? Guess how often "play with kids" was on that list?Um. Never. (#notgoingtofeelshame)And remember how often I said I would actually complete my daily to-do list?Again. Um. Never. (#eventhoughIneversitdown)Here's the truth in my life and maybe in your life: There will never be enough time to complete everything I could get done around the house or with my work. But there will come a day when my kids won't want to play with me - and I am missing it! So today, I will focus on that.If they seek me out to play, I will play. If they don't seek me out, I will find a way to seek them out to engage in something fun with them.(For those of you with older kids: You can still "play". It may mean playing a video game or two. It may mean shooting hoops or soccer. It may mean learning to play that guitar (or trying!). The point to "play" is: 1. To have fun! and 2. To let it be about them. See what you can do!)RECAP from Day 1How did everyone do with Day 1?? How was it to really "see" your kids?  This was an interesting thing for me because, as a psychologist who specializes in working with kids, I felt like I had a pretty good handle on my kids' personalities, strengths and weaknesses. And although I still think some of those things are true, I started to notice those things that would drive me crazy about my kids began to make a little more sense. Since I was not so wrapped up in all the things I needed to get done, I was able to see the context and what was really at the heart of what they were trying to communicate.And guess what...?? I got a lot of stuff done too! Grading, emails, planning... Even without a to-do list... :)It's amazing what a little perspective shift can do. At lunch, I was reflecting with my boys about how it was "a great morning", and at the end of the day, my son said to me, "Mom, this was a great day."I know everyday of this experiment won't work out this way, but gosh darn...I'll take this win! photo cred - Suzy Hazelwood (pexels.com)