Don't play with your kids, let them play with you!

Well, before I had kids I used to babysit my friend's kids and I loved it. I always said, "You've gotta wear them out, before they wear you out!" as I tumbled them upside down. David Hazel, author with his wife of our curriculum (My Father's World) said, "Don't play with your kids, let them play with you!" I have been reminded of it recently reading a book by Michael and Debi Pearl. They talk about not just raising your kids up to know God's ways but how key it is to have fun with them. Here are some of the things they said: "Thankfully, we don't have to be perfect people, or even especially wise, to become good parents. Nor do we need to be thoroughly informed as to all the ins and outs of parenting as taught in books or by enrolling in parenting classes. We don't need schooling. We need to be real-consistently real- and caring. We need to be there, right in the midst of our children-in their face, if you will. Everything else will somehow fall into place when our hearts are right. A right heart can make up for a lot of wrong-headedness, but great knowledge and understanding can never make up for indifference. Genuine love will cover a multitude of sins." "You will get a much better response from your children when they perceive that you care more about them than you do about public perception. They are more perceptive than you give them credit for, and they always know your true heart- even when you don't want them to. Your children must be conscious that you really want them to have great experiences. When they see you putting emotional energy into them, they will respond with coooperation and openness. They will be moved by your willingness to invest yourself in their lives...Sudden changes of heart with big efforts will not impress them. A lot of small gestures add up to big trust. You will create a climate of trust by never hurting them at "heart level"-but always demonstrating a caring spirit." Anyway, I have been focusing on this a lot lately, reading to them up in their fort while eating oranges, playing lots of tag & duck, duck, goose... The other day I was watching my nephew Caden and I just had Isabella and Samantha with me. She said something that verified the truth of that (not to mention how Bailey lights up when I play with them) when I went outside to be with them. There are times that I have to clean and just send the kids out to play in the backyard. It's not because I want to but I have to clean! When I walked outside to be with them Samantha said, "You love me!" We have special times every night when we read books and the bible but I know it speaks volumes to them when I set aside a good deal of time just to play with them. In the book Feminine Appeal, Carolyn Mahaney writes, "...we don't always feel those same tender emotions we experienced in the birthing room at the hospital. We quickly discover that this affection is not always easy to sustain. Yet it's in the midst of the trials and challenges of motherhood that the command comes to love our children. As with our husbands, we are to love our children with a tender, affectionate, and passionate love. Although many mothers are committed to caring sacrificially for their children, they sometimes neglect to enjoy them. They fulfill the responsibilities of motherhood but overlook the pleasures."