When my son Liam was three, one day we were in the car running errands, and he asked me, "Mommy, are we in a hurry?" I paused, because we were just sitting in traffic while he stared out the window.When I said, no, he said, "Oh good. It's much nicer that way." I was relieved, but a little concerned that my toddler already felt rushed. For a little boy who liked to spend his afternoons quietly collecting snails, the chaos of preschool, daycare, and having two siblings was a lot for him to deal with... me too, I realized. We all needed more time to play.
More and more research suggests that play is crucial in the cognitive, physiological, behavioral, and social development and adaptation at all stages of life. Moms aren't immune, either. When was the last time you had a chance to really play? Not a class, not managing your kids' activities, but play outside -- goofing around, tossing a ball, tag, kickball, or sledding with your family or friends?
Health advocate Dr. Carol Torgan says that we all need to take play more seriously. It's so important, that even the United Nations High Commission for Human Rights recognizes play as a right of every child. Free play time is linked to creativity, improved behavior, collaboration, and even academic performance. You can learn to count doing hopscotch, teamwork playing four square, and patterns with puzzles. And it's fun!
The American Academy of Pediatrics released an article on The Importance of Play. You can also find the Top 100 Play Resources on Dr. Torgan's website. It's kind of ironic that what we all did so naturally as children, we have to re-learn as adults.
For my family, carving out that time to play meant me changing my job -- quitting my corporate position, launching a contracting business, hiring an au pair, and chilling out. It's not perfect, and I still have to remind myself that hurrying isn't always necessary. But it's better, significantly better. And everyone gets out to play a little more often.
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