Go play!

Last night, I was invited to a get-together with some friends. They are all neighbors and I have to admit, I'm a bit jealous of their neighborhood! Anyway, it was so nice to be able to sit with some adults and chat and not worry about entertaining the kids. Why? Because they had a sandbox and a swingset and the woods and a campfire and each other! That was the key part. One mom joked that the benefit of having more than one child is so that siblings can be playmates so the moms don't always have to be. Did you ever see the movie Grownups? If you haven't, rent it today. I swear, you will laugh out loud, but you will also nod your head in agreement. There is one scene where Adam Sandler's son is outside and doesn't really know what to do with himself since he doesn't have a phone or hand-held gaming device or any other technology. His dad watches him and silently urges him to find a way to enjoy the rock or stick or dirt or whatever might be in front of him at that moment. So last night, my kids went into the woods. Sure, two of us followed them in when we were told "Sabrina is stuck" (she wasn't) and then my oldest came out with some serious battle scars all over her legs, but she was so proud of herself for keeping up with the older boys. It reminded me of when I was a kid and the grownups would sit around the picnic table out in someone's backyard and when a kid ran up to one of them, the standard response was "go play." Telling your kids to go play is not a bad thing. It's not done out of annoyance or the desire to get rid of your child. Believe me, you are not doing your child any favors if you are constantly organizing crafts and making sure they have something to do every second of every day. You are doing them a favor if you let them use their imaginations. And watching those kids - boys and girls ranging in ages from 3 to 11 - just made me realize that my kids will learn so much from those impromptu hangouts (no, I will not call it a playdate). And while they are having fun with their friends, I am having some fun too. I'm going to make sure my kids go play more often.