Playing With My Own Children

The project:
Taking time out to play, just play, with my own children. I know this may not sound like a charitable deed. Read on.

Time: 4 hours

Why bother?I'm with my children pretty much all the time. But in the last year or so, plain ol' playtime has not come as easily for me. First there's their education, then maintaining some decorum here at home, plus I manage to find a lot of busy work around here, or special projects (coaching, writing, blogging, deeds, etc.).

I used to play with the girls all the time. I mean ALL the time. I loved to watch their little minds take in a new situation, mull it over, wonder. But my play began to slacken as the girls became increasingly able to play with each other at length without my intervention. I didn't want to interrupt their play when it was going well. But it's gone to far. I miss them, and they miss me, and setting aside all these relatively unimportant distractions of adult life to get back into PLAY has been a challenge.

It doesn't make sense to do for others when I can't find the time to do for my own children. Today was a return to the basics.

Worth it?
Absolutely. We had a wonderfully relaxing afternoon together, laughing, playing, catching fish from the pond and putting them in the wading pool that's been tempered by several days of conditioning in the yard (aka left out far too long).