I hope you had a good night’s sleep and a healthy breakfast, because you need to be at your best for this. I’ve got a pop quiz for you. I can hear your groaning, you know. You didn’t study, did you? Don’t worry; it’s multiple choice.
Ready? Let’s go.
Question number one and only, asked by someone small(er than you):
Mommy, can you play a game with me?
Options:
- Yes.
- No.
- Maybe later.
- I have to finish ________, and then I can play with you.
- No hablo ingles.
Answers:
1 or 4
Mandatory long-winded commentary on the options:
1. Yes. As parents, “yes” should be our answer as often as reasonable when our children reasonably ask for our time, attention, and love…but not necessarily for Legos, money, or car keys. It warms any child’s heart and gives children confidence in their worth when you truly enjoy playing with your children and enthusiastically take the time to do so. Just a note: a cheerful yes is not the same as a begrudgingly dutiful “I suppose.” Children can tell the difference between love and duty. (There is a lot to be said for children playing independently and respecting the time of others, so if your child is over-the-top about demanding you entertain him or interrupting your time unnecessarily, then this does not apply to you. But that’s a topic for another day.)
2. No. Heart crushed. Of course, sometimes the answer has to be no, like…when you’re…uhhh…skydiving or…in the final stages of labor, maybe. But, really, opt for number 4 instead of the “no.” A better answer would be “Sure, Son, after I land and regain my ability to breathe unassisted” or “Yes, but please wait until after the baby is born and napping.”
3. Maybe later. The problem with the maybe laters of life is that later never comes. Most children will tell you that “maybe later” (and “we’ll see,” by the way) means “never.” ‘Fess up. You know it’s true. “Maybe later” is too open-ended and abstract and will rapidly be forgotten by you, but not by your small(er than you) child who will subconsciously add it to an array of unfulfilled maybe laters that chisel away at your relationship and at his little heart.
4. I have to finish _________, and then I can play with you. This is great if, and only if, you follow through to the letter. Not only does this answer tell your child exactly when you will be available to play, but your consistent follow-through will instill trust in your child. Knowing you will be playing with them as soon as possible, your children will happily wait (and probably help you with whatever you’re doing). Take warning, however, that if you consistently tell them you will do something at a certain time, and you consistently let them down, your word will mean nothing to them…and that’s a tragedy. Better to say “no” and be truthful than to put your children off indefinitely until they learn your word has no value.
5. No hablo ingles. No commento.
How can I find time for playing with my children?
You’re busy; I know.
I have six children whom I homeschool, I run a business and assist with a music mission with my hubby who also enjoys a little attention, and I am considering installing a hammock and toilet in my kitchen since I practically live there, seeing as we buy almost no processed foods—nope, not even bread or cereal. This is on top of the normal tasks involved with being a wife, mother, homemaker, and writer/editor. Believe me when I say I too am busy, and I understand the lure of answers two and three (number 5 doesn’t work on my kiddos, since they’ve noticed a little ingles escaping from my lips over the past 15 years). Consider, however, that a family game does not have to be Monopoly. It doesn’t have to be chess. There are quick, fun alternatives for playing with your children.
A game of 20 Questions or I spy requires no supplies or set up, and can be played anywhere, even while you’re cooking. There are also family games that can be played in under ten minutes, such as some of the mini Lego games* and a few of the array of quick card games now available (some favorites are Dutch Blitz and Gopher It). Games can be played with a timer or altered to be shorter. Longer family games, like Apple to Apples, Clue, or your classic favorite from childhood, can be reserved for family game night, which you can schedule weekly, monthly, or sporadically by writing it on the calendar and sticking to it. You can even have an ongoing game that may take days, weeks, or months to finish, such as chess or Scrabble—of course, this has to be set up out of reach of the really smalls.
When you consider the monumental returns on the small investment of time that accompanies your enthusiastic “yes,” you may be the one asking your children if they want to play games instead of the other way around.
Hey, you did great, but next time study for the quiz.
* Our favorite mini Lego game is Wild Wool, which is currently rather pricey at Amazon. We bought it in spring for ten bucks at Wal-Mart, so check there first. It only takes about ten minutes to play…unless your sheep are named, get married, and have lambs—that drags it out a bit. Robo-Champ is also great; it’s faster (five minutes, usually), and is under ten bucks online. My children like some of the other lower-priced, less-time-consuming Lego games as well, but I haven’t given them the parent tolerance test.
Oh my, stepping on my toes. I am a mom of two who works outside the home (not by choice) and my little 7 year old is forever asking this same question. Some times I do play but many times I don’t only because with working outside the home and then inside the home my plate is always so full. I’m mentally exhausted most days when I come home then there is dinner, homework and all the rest. I realize sometimes I have to drop what I’m doing or make something wait and just play. This is so hard!! I need to keep asking the Lord for help with this but one thing I have been trying to do is sit in her bed at night and read her Bible together. Thanks for the post, it was a great reminder of keeping my priorities straight.
Blessings,
Marie
I know how you feel. It’s sometimes difficult to summon enough energy to play. Sometimes a snuggle is all I can muster, myself.
Blessings to you, Marie!
Phil. 4:13
Christy
Oh my gosh-I’m dying for my kid to ask me to play with him so I can tell him ‘No hablo ingles!” cause he’ll think it’s hilarious.
You know what funny though-you’re mention of “We’ll see.” I totally use that on my kids when they ask me to buy them something or do something or go somewhere that is too expensive or just not realistic, etc. I told my hubby last week, it won’t be long before my oldest figures out “We’ll see” means no, I’m never going to buy you that! LOL
Our favorite games vary but recently it’s been card games like uno, old maid, go fish, etc.
Steer clear of Hi-Ho Cherry-O! if you are pressed for time! YIKES for such a simple game, it can drag on FOREVER! LOL We love it though.
We also love Wii Sports, Mario kart, Apples to Apples, and Squiggle Connect.
Ha haaaaa! I tried it on my five-year-old son, but it only confused him. I can just see you doing that!
I forgot about Uno. My favorite card game with the older kids is Speed, which takes about three minutes…but now they can beat me, so I don’t play as often. 😉
Oh man! I *JUST* got done playing a game with the kids! They asked and I said “sure” I’m bummed I totally missed a chance to tell them “no hablo ingels!” Bwahahaha
BTW we played Rory’s Story Cubes – google it, it’s AWESOME, fairly quick, very affordable AND it’s educational!
Next time, next time!
I just gave that game to my daughter for her birthday. Glad to hear it’s a goodie! 🙂
We love Mancala and SpongeBob Cranium. My oldest got it for her birthday last year and it can go really fast, but if you have time, playing again (and again and again) is fun. I’m going to pick up the kiddos from school today, make a casserole and declare it game night! Thanks for reminding me to stop and have fun!!
I forgot about Mancala. I love that game. Someone small scattered our stones, but we can go outside and find some more.
Enjoy your game night!
Headbandz is fun!
Thanks! I’ll check it out. Never heard of it.
We enjoy Boutique Monopoly with the girls. As a family, we enjoy Disney’s Scene It and Scategories. A good one for getting to know each other better is Imagine If.
Thanks for the Imagine If recommendation. I’ll have to check that one out.
Ouch. I am guilty of 2 and 3 and I always feel horrible after! With some many little ones running around it just seems many times once I am finished changing diapers, cleaning up crumbs, throwing a load in….etc. they have moved on and I hardly ever get back to the playing. Anyway thank you for reminding me of the simple games that I can play while taking care of the other stuff!
oh we love Scrabble Jr and Connect 4! The babies love handing out the points!
So glad you found me and cant wait to read more!
I know what you mean. That happened to me so often that I finally set a family game night every Monday night. We miss many Mondays, but we hit quite a few, too.
Your girls are beautiful!
WOW–This is such a good post–and super convicting! Thank you for sharing your heart!!
Ouch! You got me there. I have two toddlers that ALWAYS seem to crave my attention. It’s not enough that I had them 17 mos. apart so that they would have one another! 🙂 It’s so hard to know how to balance what I have to do, what I want to do, and what I need to do with them. Thanks for a wonderful post.
I have tried to do the family game night with my three kids and it always ends up with the kids fighting. I have talked with them and told them that I don’t like playing games with them since they always fight over something. It didn’t help, they still fight and I still get aggrivated. I have two very competitive boys and one little girl who is seven going on twenty (she thinks 🙂 Sooo…I don’t know how to play with them all at the same time without competetition and fighting. Any suggestions?