My Connections to Play

“We are never more fully alive, more completely ourselves, or more deeply engrossed in anything, than when we are at play.”
― Charles Schaefer

"Play is our brain's favorite way of learning."

Diane Ackerman
Contemporary American author

 

 

 

My favorite thing to play as a kid was school.  I was always the teacher and my cousins, little sister, and Grandma were the students.  That was the best part...Grandma would do anything we asked her to do and play any game we wanted.  Poor thing...we used to make her wear the "dunce hat" and sit in the corner.  She did it every time and never once complained.  

Grandma loved playing with us and would play for hours on end.  She encouraged us to play all the time.  Whether we were playing school, putting on fashion and talent shows, or playing hide and seek, she always participated.  She'd cheer when we sang, told us how beautiful we were when we dressed up in her night gowns (with her Christmas tree tinsel as boas), and chased us through the house as we hid from her.  She would play football in the house with my brother.  They broke just about every lamp she had and when my mom tried to yell at my brother, she would yell at her!  She'd defend us to the ground and threaten to beat my mom if she touched us.  My siblings and cousins spent a lot of time at her house.  The more, the merrier!  At times, there would be 8 of us in bed with her as she told ghost stories.

Looking back, those were the happiest days of my childhood.  Grandma's house was the best place to be.  You were loved unconditionally and allowed to be whomever or whatever you wanted to be (as long as you were safe!).

Play today is so much different now than it was when I was a child.  We did not have PlayStations and IPads to occupy our time.  We were forced to use our imagination and invent games to play (like Witch in the Well...a favorite of ours as kids).  We played outside all the time in the summer and had to be forced to come in when it got dark.  Now, kids rarely play outside unless it is participating in an organized sport.  One of the reasons my boys do not play outside is because I do not feel that they are safe.  Even when I am outside with them, I am constantly worried about the inconsiderate people who drive down our street at high speeds.  I can't let them play in our back yard along for fear that someone will kidnap them.  I feel like I need to have eyes on them at all times.  I often wonder if things are really more dangerous now or are incidents reported more often?
 

Looking back, my parents let me ride my bike all over town by myself!  I'd be gone all day with no contact with them.  There were no cell phones or tracking devices.  What were they thinking??  

I think that play is one of the most important things in life!  My husband and I freely admit that we are both kids at heart and refuse to grow up.  We have fun all the time and we do everything we can to ensure our boys are having fun (sometimes we do things that we think is fun and just hope they think it is fun too!) .  There is nothing more precious than a child's laughter...it can brighten up any room at any given moment.  In my mind, you only live once so make it the happiest time possible!