"Children don't say, 'I had a hard day, can we talk?' They say, 'Will you come play with me?'" Wow, when I saw this quote, I was not convicted about the need to play with my four-year-old, with whom I make sure I spend time on the floor building blocks, but my older child who consistently asks if we can play a video or board game together. This means I cannot multi-task and have to be engaged 100%. Seeing this as a time for us to bond is great, but seeing this as something she needs for mental health is completely different. Many times, we want our children who are acting more like adults every day to share their feelings with us. Instead of having serious sit-down conversations, maybe the best way for them to feel safe and valued is for us to play with them.
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