Schooltastic

When my oldest came home from kindergarten, he would be drained and sullen. The rigor of attending a full day of school made it hard for him to be his fun-loving self late in the day, and that was tough for all of us. We spent some afternoons using his favorite games, toys, and books, trying to coax out the giggling little lunatic we knew.

Now, he is a third-grader, and he has much more stamina, of course. However, school still demands a lot of him. As a teacher, I understand. Our kids are required to fully concentrate on a variety of rapidly changing subjects for six hours, and they are expected to deliver a top effort in all of them.

Playing makes my son who he is again, lets him come back to life after a demanding day. Playing allows his mind to wander after having been regimented. After homework, dinner, shower, packing his backpack for tomorrow, and chores, I’m happiest if he can rejuvenate before bed by playing.

When is the last time your kids saw you play? When is the last time you and your kids shared a good belly laugh? Between work, maintaining a household, car trouble, bills, and the million other obligations that corral the hours of adult life, it’s tough to find time to build Legos or have a tea party with baby dolls. I try, though, because I believe that play is the most worthwhile thing my kids can do when they’re home. A good game of “Climb on Daddy” will do more to ensure a good day at school tomorrow than running through the spelling words again will.