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When I was asked to do a guest post for Tales of an Unlikely Mother, it was suggested that I offer some advice from a mom with slightly older kids to parents with young children. It was hard to decide what I could contribute. There's so much parenting advice out there already: nutritional, educational, financial, spiritual, psychological... and each is presented as the most critical part of your child's development. “Follow these steps or your child might grow up to be an ax-murderer.”
Then I realized an aspect that is often overlooked:
Have fun with your kids. Have a ridiculously silly amount of fun with your kids. Of course, kids are great at having fun all by themselves. They can find the fun in any situation, but we tend to sit on the sidelines and watch. Stop being a spectator. Get in there with them.
1. Get Dirty- Go out and explore with your kids. Dig for worms. Pick up rolly pollies. Play in the mud. Run through the forest. Watch where you step, though, this could also be labeled “get poison ivy.”
2. Get soaked- Play in the sprinkler. My kids like chasing me with the hose but they love it when I grab them and carry them through the sprinkler. My clothes will dry, but their memories will last a lifetime.
3. Be Creative- Next time the kids color or paint or play with playdoh, sit down with them and do it too. It will be a great chance to bond and they'll be in awe of your mad coloring skills.
4. Be a Comedian- Tell jokes. Make funny faces and silly noises. Kids are the perfect audience because they don't have high standards when it comes to comedy. Even better, they've really never heard any of the classic jokes yet. Where else can the “orange you glad I didn't say banana” joke be a hit?
It's good for the kids to see that adulthood isn't all laundry and errands. I want them to realize that fun can be had at any age. It doesn't just benefit the kids. When I hear my kids get that that uncontrollable giggle, I can't help but laugh with them.
We have a lot on us, as moms. Taking the time to laugh with your kids relieves stress and it's great for your health. I'm not saying that if you don't follow my advice your kids will grow up to be ax-muderers, but do you really want to take that chance?
How do you have fun with your kids?
When she's not out having fun with her kids, Wesley(6) and Gracie(5), Virginia blogs at My Spinning Plates.
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I'm doing a guest blogging series on Wednesdays. If you are interested, please contact me!
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This is a great article! Thank you. I hope to be the mom that plays with my kids like that. My mother wasn't really, (although she was still a wonderful, amazing mother who encouraged imagination play, even if it wasn't her thing to join in.) My son is 2 and cracks me up. He has a sense of humor so we joke together a lot. You are right - he isn't a discerning audience when it comes to humor.
ReplyDelete"Where does a shoe go? Does a shoe go on your head?" OMG FUNNIEST THING EVAH.
You are SO right about being silly and telling jokes. I have a 10 year old daughter and 7 year old son and one of the goofiest, and MOST FUN, toys we have is the Fart Machine. It has a remote so you can hide the actual Fart Machine in a couch or underneath a chair and set it off from up to 100 feet away. We giggled and giggled when we did this to my family one Thanksgiving! :)
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