Friday's Quote to Ponder

"The parent who gets down on the floor to play with a child on Christmas Day is usually doing a most remarkable thing -- something seldom repeated during the rest of the year. These are, after all, busy parents committed to their work or their success in the larger society, and they do not have much left-over time in which to play with their children."

~Brian Sutton-Smith

I like this quote, but it really strikes home. How often do we really play with our kids? I don't do it nearly enough. Even being a stay-at-home mom, I stay busy with "mommy work"--dishes, laundry, cooking, cleaning, basic childcare, and often don't sit down to just play. A couple nights ago, Megan and I began a new bedtime game, "The Ticklebugs". We usually just tickle with our tickle bugs, but now, they have personalities :) Meg's little hand, and my bigger one, we're the tickle bugs, and we do regular tickle-bug daily routines. They play, and take baths, and brush their teeth, etc. She got such a kick out of it. I can see how much she loves it when I just take a little time to play with her. And, truth be known, I like it too! This summer, I made it a mission to play outside with them more--actually playing ball, running, etc. And it gave me some exercise too! This Christmas, let's play with our kids new toys and games with them, and continue to do so as often as we can throughout the year. Might make a good New Year's Resolution.