Playing Our Way Through Life

Ever since my son came to us I am able to relive the experience of being a child…every day that I will myself to stay “awake.”

When I was a child, I can remember that everything was new, and everything was magical.  Even getting dressed evoked fantasies that would zap me from my closet and into the adventures of my mind.

Most children, and some talented adults, can take practical life (getting dressed, for example) and turn it into a magical adventure.    Everything is play, and everything becomes play.

Have you ever tried to hurry a little boy into his clothing and out the door?  It is usually to no avail — the shirt becomes a pirate’s hat, and then his eye catches a forgotten toy — everything is so richly distracting to children, because they are still engaged so deeply in living life.

This is what is so easy to forget as an adult – how to be passionate and engaged and see the magic in life.

So why do we try to pounce it out of them? “Straighten up!  Hurry Up!  Come on, we’ll be late!”

What is the hurry?!!!! What could be more important than living?  This is a great reminder for me.  Whenever I climb back onto that treadmill of “earning a living,” I tend to forget how to slow down and Be where my son is.  I forget how to take time to meet him there, in the moment.

What being child-like brings to my life is the ability to come back to a time of real joy, where every day is like christmas, because I am intrinsically attached to every moment.

Lots of Love,

Linda

Riviera PlaySchool in Redondo Beach, CA
TEACHING FROM BALANCE
A Mindful program for the ‘Whole Child,’ inspired by the best of Attachment Parenting, Reggio Emilia, Montessori, Waldorf and Compassionate Communication.