Ways to play (when you're not a natural player)

It was with some amusement that I opened The Sunday Life mag yesterday to find a column by Mia Freedman about the dread she feels when her kids ask her to play with them. Only the night before I had been espousing the soul benefits of being more playful and playing more with my son.  But her article rang true for me.

There will always be a thousand other things I want to do other than play like a four year old. And I am also not naturally gifted at playing. Which is precisely why I took myself off to learn to play last week with Sherry and Donna, and to arm myself with an arsenal of play 'tools' to keep it interesting for both me and my son.

Most adults don't want to play like little kids. But I do want to participate fully in my son's life  And he wants to play. So this weekend we tried more creative acts of play. 

We tinkered on Sunday, taking apart old remotes and torches that don't work and cords that have been homeless for years. I left it out on the table all day and he returned to it endlessly, both with me and without me. Starting something off with him and leaving it set up is often enough to encourage independent play (just as important as me playing with him) and gave me time to read the paper.

Then we played hide and seek, which was hilariously funny. Especially as he is not entirely certain of the game, and with unsupressed exuberance he would launch himself from his hiding spot squealing and giggling, 'Suprise!' even before I had started looking. I haven't laughed so much in a very long time.