My Connections to Play

We don't stop playing because we grow old; we grow old because we stop playing.

-George Bernard Shaw

You can discover more about a person in an hour of play than in a year of conversation.

-Plato

As a young child I loved dramatic play. It didn’t matter if it was the house section of kindergarten or the fort in the back yard, there was something about pretend play that I really enjoyed.

One of the biggest supports of my play was time. We were not only encouraged but at times often kicked, outside to play. My siblings and friends would spend hours “unsupervised” in the back yard or around the neighborhood creating our fantasy worlds. My mom would interrupt for meal times and that was about it. The rest of the time we were free to create.

                                            

Unfortunately with the change of the times, I am unable to give my children the kind of freedom I had as a child. As a working mom, I do not have the time at home that my mother did. In addition with the way society is today there are so many more safety concerns. We feel like we have to be constantly on guard and unless your back yard is fenced (ours is not) letting the kids outside to play on their own for elongated periods of time can be frightening. While my boys do get free time to explore the things that they are fascinated by, the amount of time provided for that exploration is considerably less.

On the upside having three little boys has helped me to learn all different areas of play. While they do have a flair for the dramatic it isn’t quite the same as when I was little. They are teaching me all about super heroes, video games, “weapons” of war, and strategy. I even have a little artist in the making who continually invites me to color with him and I have to admit there are few things more relaxing than coloring a picture with my little man. Taking the time to play with my guys provides quality one on one time with them, fosters our family bonds and is just fun. It takes me away from the stress of adulthood for a few moments and reminds me about the true purpose of life and what is most important.