Children are wonderful little joys that make life fun. From the minute they wake up to the minute it’s time for bed, they are playing and creating adventures. Mine are constantly asking me to play with them and when they do, I’m usually in the middle of something. Being the anxious person that I am, I feel the need to stay busy. When they ask to play, my response tends to be “in a little bit” or “just let me finish what I need to do”. Sometimes I even share my laundry list of things to do. They say okay, then before we know it it’s late in the afternoon with not much time left to play. It makes them feel bad to hear the word “no” and it makes me feel bad to disappoint them. I feel blessed that they want me to play with them. In the moment, I find myself thinking JUST SAY YES! or JUST STOP AND PLAY, IT CAN WAIT! Although, it’s harder said than done since I’m the type of person that thinks that work should be done first, then playtime after. But does it always have to be that way? I find myself now asking this question. I have seen how fast time goes, especially now that I have kids. The years have gone by in what feels like as a blink of an eye. I feel like once my kids started school, with everything going on each day the days have gone by even faster. It’s no secret that we as humans are not guaranteed to live a long life and being reminded of that with a recent loss of a loved one, I’m starting to rethink how I spend my days with focus on what truly matters. So, it’s time for another challenge to become more mindful2happy.
PLAY MORE, IT CAN WAIT! 18 DAY CHALLENGE:
- SAY YES! Instead of sharing my list of chores when asked to play, I challenge myself to stop what I’m doing and play. Express how much I love our time together.
- Play more. Make time each day to play. They are worth it!
- Accept that things don’t need to be a certain way. Have fun instead.
- Be okay with the mess. If they build a fort, let them keep it up for days. They will remember that.
- Let them be kids. They grow fast, so enjoy the child in them.
- Play like a kid. If you don’t know what to do, here are some ideas: have a dance party, play board games or cards, color, play hide-and-go-seek, build a block tower as high as you can, play dolls, make a raceway for hot wheels, ask your kids what they want to do, take turns sharing ideas & build off of each other’s ideas. Just go with the flow & remember to have fun!
- Be more mindful during your time together. Refocus the wandering mind.
Success with this challenge will build and maintain strong bonds with our children. I encourage you to take this challenge too and if you don’t have kids, tweak it to meet your needs. Just remind yourself to simplify your busy life and spend more time on the things that matter most to you. You can do it!
