I've seen a couple of articles this week about the importance of playtime. I wholeheartedly agree with this concept. I think the boys have all learned some very valuable lessons through playing.
Most of the "playtime" the big guys have these days is organized. It's kind of rare, at least through the busy school year schedule, for them to have unstructured time with their friends that doesn't have some kind of requirement tied to it. Summer is coming though... and with it will come some more lazy days (or at least hours) for them to let their interests and imaginations guide their activities.*
*I do struggle a little bit with finding a good balance between how much to schedule them through the summer and how much to just let them be. I don't want them spending days on end with their heads stuck in their phones. So we are shooting for a nice mix of camps, chores, football prep, and unscheduled time.
The little boys are right in the middle of their prime "play" years. And they really don't disappoint. They spend more time in the toyroom with their TV turned OFF than the big brothers ever did. They create elaborate stories and act out sophisticated plots with a random set of toys. Check out this picture. The other night they had the dinos and the purple octopus battling the ogre and dragon, who were fervently protecting their castle. Adorable. And creative. I will miss little moments like this. I will miss them a great deal!
Don't forget to take some playtime for yourselves! As I drug myself out of bed this morning at 4:45, I told Bob that I was going to schedule a day off work sometime in May just so I can play - and recharge my own batteries. I need to sit in front of my sewing machine or behind a book or even curled up with the TV going and just play for a while. I knew spring would be a rough season and I am so pleased that we have *almost* beat it! We have to get through about 3 more tough weeks. Next week I'm off to Scotland and then when I get back we go into back to back lacrosse playoff/tournament weekends and the fun of 2 weeks of football tryouts AND lacrosse practice. I think those weeks are likely harder on the boys than me, but they will be a slog for sure. On the other side is the last day of school, a long weekend, and a quickly approaching beach vacation - where we can ALL play together. We can make it!
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