Playful Parenting

Here is a wonderful book for anyone who works with children, but especially for parents: Playful Parenting by Lawrence J. Cohen, Ph.D.

Reading this book has made me a better parent in the last few weeks, as I try to lighten up and be more playful. Play, as shown in this book, is everything from the organized to the spontaneous, the prolonged to the short exchange of banter. The point is to meet the children where they are, to recognize that they struggle with isolation and powerlessness, and to build connections and communicate in their way. Dr. Cohen calls it "the importance of getting down on the floor".

Chapters in the book take you through joining the children in their world, building connection, encouraging their confidence, strong feelings and play, rethinking the way we discipline, sibling rivalry and play, and how adults need to recharge their own batteries and learn to roughhouse.

Dr. Cohen is a psychologist who specializes in play therapy, and he sprinkles anecdotes from his work and his life throughout the book, illustrating difficult scenarios that I found inspirational as he found ways to connect with children through play.

Some quotes:

Is there enough giggling going on in your house? At the playground? At your child's school? In my opinion, a good school is one where you hear giggling and laughter in the halls and in the classrooms. We often forget that children learn best when they are happy.

Play is children's main way of communicating. To stop a child from playing is like stopping an adult from talking and thinking. To control every minute of play is like controlling every word someone says. But to leave children alone in their play is like spending the day with other adults and never talking to them.