I wanted to touch on one particular post from Yehuda titled: How (and Why) to Play with Your Child in Six Steps. It was posted on October 5, 2006, so it's rather old (compared to how quickly things move forward with all this technology and internet stuff), but it is an excellent post.
I'm a parent and I love to play games. That's why I like this post so much. He starts off with an awesome view on parenting and children:
"The difference between a happy parent and an overwhelmed one is the difference between a parent that sees the big picture and one who is caught up in the drudgery of the moment."
It is really hard to "see the big picture." I mean there is so much going on that pulls my attention (school, work, etc.). But my family makes up the majority of the "big picture." So there shouldn't be any drudgery. The question becomes, how do you keep the "big picture" foremost in your mind? I have a tough time with messes. I have my stuff and each thing has it's proper place. Well, this kind of perspective doesn't work too well with children. But that doesn't need to make things into a drudgery for me. I just need to know that they are learning and keeping things clean and organized isn't something that is easy to learn. Someday they will get there and I just have to remember that. Besides, it's not a huge part of the "big picture." Helping them learn that is part of the "big picture." So, as I attempt to help them learn, that is a major part of the "big picture."
He follows this statement up with:
"You don't need to spend money to make children happy; you need to spend time."
Isn't that the truth!! It reminds me of the Church info-mercials: Family; Isn't it about, TIME. Here's a prefect example, from youtube:
He goes on to talk about all of the things that are available for families and their children (video games, summer camps, to name a couple) and how those things separate children and parents. There are many things available for children to do, some good, others not so good. But even the good things can often times take the place of the "essential things." Now, I'm not trying to say that board games or card games are the "essential things." But I am in complete agreement with Yehuda: it's the time spent with family in playing those games. Therein lies the value. After all, all of the other things we do in life, work, school, etc. we do to be able to spend time with our family. Yehuda puts it this way:
"All of those other things you do, you do to spend time with your children; maybe you forgot that."
So, here are the six steps he gives for How & Why to Play with your Child:
1. Accept that playing with your kids is time well spent
2. Know your child
3. Broaden the definition of play
4. Narrow the definition of play
5. Find good games
6. Adapt games
This is a great read and I encourage you to take a look; don't forget the big picture; and figure out a way of playing with your children. They won't be children forever.
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