The Joy of Playing with our Kids

Linking up with Kelly's Corner, Blue Eyed Bride, Lil Light O' Mine, and Life in the Greenhouse
These 4 bloggers are hosting a multi week link up with different topics.  This week's topic is The Joy of Playing with our Kids.

I'm so blessed.  My boys are so stinking cute and can be so much fun.  They are full of energy and always on the go.  They have the sweetest giggles and the sound of their laughter is probably my favorite sound in the world.  Carson is 19 months and he is really starting to talk and uses his words well.  He has such a sweet cuddly personality one minute and the next he's off spinning around, dancing and being goofy.  Noah is 3 years old and talks, talks and talks.  He says some of the funniest things and loves to think he is the family clown, but also can be such a sweetheart as well and tells me, I'm his best friend, or that I'm his sweet little girl and that he loves me so much.  I don't know what I would do without these boys, they are my world.  

But why is it soooooo hard sometimes to just play with them.  Somedays I have the hardest time putting aside my to-do list and just to be there for them. I'm a type A, busy body, neat freak.  Some days the messy floor, sink full of dishes, and the never ending laundry pile can take over in my head and seem more important in the moment.  It's so easy  to relax and play with my boys when the house is clean and the chores are done for the day.  But I want to be able to put everything down and really interact them when the house is a mess and when they need me.  I want to stop saying " Wait a minute" or "hold on" and just drop what I'm doing and play and not worry about the jobs that are half done until later.

In reality,  I know at their age all they care about is being with me and having my attention, they could care less about the house or how neat/ clean it is.

Now we can't be all about fun and games. The house will still need cleaned at some point, and dinner will need made, and the laundry needs done but there has to be a balance of getting stuff done and playing with my kids as well.  I'm thankful for this link up and the other women who wrote and shared their stories.  I know I'm not alone and that a lot of women struggle with this.  There isn't a doubt about it, motherhood is hard.  I also love this quote below, because I have already screwed up multiple times in the last 3 years and will continue to do so in the next 18+ but I just have to do my best.

One last note, my boys favorite thing to do with me is play lion.  It's simple but they love it and they laugh every time.  All I do is crawl around on the floor, chase them and roar.  They ask me to do it and the boys do it to each other.  I know with the added increase of social media and Pinterest, not only do I feel that I fail in the area of playing but even when I do that my playing isn't good enough.  But something to remember is they view playing as time with us.  It can be reading a book, doing a puzzle, going for a walk, helping us make cupcakes, or dinner.  I know my boys want to be with me and interact with me and it doesn't need to be some elaborate train track made out of masking tape, or a Pinterest Holiday craft, or using half the house to make a fort.  To them it's just as good when it's simple.  

My boys are fun and this has really made me think.  I hope to enjoy playing with them even more in the coming months!  

What are some of the things you do when you "play" with your kids?