Our house is one where the idea of following your bliss, as Joseph Campbell, once said, is promoted. I try to live it and encourage it with her. It’s often a balancing act.
Today, when she woke up, she asked me if we could play. I was already steeped in creative flow with my TV Show writing.
Me – “Not right now, honey. I’m going to write for a while. How about you draw?”
Off she went to do her thing while I did mine. An hour later, I decided it was time to swing the day into quality time with her.
Me – “Okay, I’m ready. Do you want to play?”
She game me a hesitant look with a mischievous smile.
Me – “Do you want to play?”
Her – “I’m already playing.”
Me – “Do you want to play on your own?”
She smiled and nodded like she was up to something and backed out, closing the door.
While I’m not a proponent of keeping a child alone for too long, she was in fantasy world. That’s a sacred space in my parenting book, as important as consistent quality time with me. So, I kept playing on my own, writing, allowing her to ‘raise her hand’ and ask for time with me.
An hour later that moment arrived. Now we were both ready.
She surprised me with a beautiful booklet about her love for me and the ways she wanted to play the rest of the day…the pool, tackling, snuggles.
