One of my favorite games to play with my daughter, 4, is letting her pretend that she's the mom and that I am the child. She absolutely loves it, and so do I.
Tonight she asked to play that very game, and of course, I obliged. Immediately, "mom" informed me that she had to venture off to work, but not before saying, "I love you, my boy. I'll miss you. And when I come home I'll cook your favorite supper. Macaroni and cheese." And off to work she went, but not without telling me she would call me to make sure I was doing OK, and also not without introducing me to my new babysitter who she reassured me would play all my favorite games. Sure enough, it wasn't 15 or 30 seconds later when she called me on her imaginary phone, asking, "My son, how are you doing? Are you taking a nap like a good boy? When I get home I'll play with you and tell you story."
My part in this game is to act every bit like the little boy. Fail to do so, and she'll let me know sure enough. It's easy enough to do if you just let your imagination go and play along. That's hard for some adults. Maybe it speaks to the state of my maturity, but pretending I'm a little boy isn't all that difficult. (That's a little worrisome, I suppose.) Not too much later, my "mom" told me she didn't have to go back to work anymore, and she proceeded to push me on the swing, which I very much actually enjoyed.
Letting your kid lead you along in play is so important and so educational, and not for the kid but for the parent. You can learn a lot about how your kid perceives you and what exactly your importance to her is. You can learn a lot about how well you play as an adult, how well you make time for them, and how well you listen. If you're child acts and talks and conducts herself in a way you'd expect and like an adult to act, you're probably doing a good job as a parent and as an adult yourself. Luckily, I didn't hear my daughter dropping any F-bombs or scream at me or berate me or tell me to bugger off when I asked her to push me on the swing some more. Maybe I'm doing something right.
Letting your kid lead you in play also lets the child make the decisions. It let's them be the responsible one. It enables them to think on their feet. Think in a hurry. It enables them to be in a position of power and authority. I love when my daughter gets to step outside her comfort zone and take on something new. I love it more when she guides and directs me. She's good at it, and it makes me listen and follow. That's an important trait I don't think enough parents engage in. That's too bad. There's so much to be learned from the other side of the fence.
Tonight she asked to play that very game, and of course, I obliged. Immediately, "mom" informed me that she had to venture off to work, but not before saying, "I love you, my boy. I'll miss you. And when I come home I'll cook your favorite supper. Macaroni and cheese." And off to work she went, but not without telling me she would call me to make sure I was doing OK, and also not without introducing me to my new babysitter who she reassured me would play all my favorite games. Sure enough, it wasn't 15 or 30 seconds later when she called me on her imaginary phone, asking, "My son, how are you doing? Are you taking a nap like a good boy? When I get home I'll play with you and tell you story."
My part in this game is to act every bit like the little boy. Fail to do so, and she'll let me know sure enough. It's easy enough to do if you just let your imagination go and play along. That's hard for some adults. Maybe it speaks to the state of my maturity, but pretending I'm a little boy isn't all that difficult. (That's a little worrisome, I suppose.) Not too much later, my "mom" told me she didn't have to go back to work anymore, and she proceeded to push me on the swing, which I very much actually enjoyed.
Letting your kid lead you along in play is so important and so educational, and not for the kid but for the parent. You can learn a lot about how your kid perceives you and what exactly your importance to her is. You can learn a lot about how well you play as an adult, how well you make time for them, and how well you listen. If you're child acts and talks and conducts herself in a way you'd expect and like an adult to act, you're probably doing a good job as a parent and as an adult yourself. Luckily, I didn't hear my daughter dropping any F-bombs or scream at me or berate me or tell me to bugger off when I asked her to push me on the swing some more. Maybe I'm doing something right.
Letting your kid lead you in play also lets the child make the decisions. It let's them be the responsible one. It enables them to think on their feet. Think in a hurry. It enables them to be in a position of power and authority. I love when my daughter gets to step outside her comfort zone and take on something new. I love it more when she guides and directs me. She's good at it, and it makes me listen and follow. That's an important trait I don't think enough parents engage in. That's too bad. There's so much to be learned from the other side of the fence.
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