Tuesday, September 3, 2013

Act Your Age?

"Growing Old is Mandatory; Growing Up is Optional"...This phrase caught my eye on a man's t-shirt today. I'd never seen it before. Have you?

I thought it was funny, because Claire can wear me out and make me feel ancient beyond my years sometimes. But she can also make me feel like a kid again too. In some ways, I seem to be enjoying childhood even more the second time around. I will even go so far as to say that there are times I like playing kid things more than Claire:

1) Playdough has similar soothing properties to a glass of wine or Prozac. Squish it through your fingers, let its shape slowly morph into a snake or a flower, braid it and wear it as a necklace or crown. See, I’m relaxed just thinking about the Zen of it.

2) Blocks are the opposite of Playdough. They satisfy my Type A impulses. Build the tallest tower, and beat your personal best. Experiment with the physics of where each block is placed. Watch the aerodynamics of how the tower falls. The world fades away, as I become completely absorbed in the task at hand. Claire gets bored and gives up before me every time.

3) Somewhere along the way, dancing stopped being a regular actvity in my life and was relegated to The Macerana a few times a year at the random, cheesy wedding. Enter The Hokey Pokey. It’s not quite the same as clubbing ‘til the wee hours of the morning, but my daily dose of Shake My Sillies Out does remind me of the days I used to shake it like a Polaroid picture. Plus, there are bonuses to The Hokey Pokey. It can be done in a nightgown without the need for showering or putting on makeup. When I do The Hokey Pokey, I don't have to deal with a hangover the next morning or the walk home in high heels either.

4) Reading If You Give a Mouse a Cookie over and over again is sure to be the death of me. On the other hand, Mother Goose provides me with endless fascination. Of course, the rhythm and rhyme is fabulous, but the real sweet spot is contemplating how perverse the words are and, by extension, wondering what is up with those Brits anyway. The most priceless piece of political incorrectness: “I went to London to BUY me a wife”. Of course, when I read this one to Claire, this purportedly feminist mama changes “buy” to “find”, which is perhaps marginally better. But, seriously, “buy”? No matter, I continue to read… marveling about the fact that these tales were read to children in the first place, as well as the great mystery of why I’m sharing them with my daughter with such delight now.

5) I could wax on and on about the magic of those shakable, musical eggs. Whoever invented them deserves a medal for the giant step forward in children’s toy design. I love shaking those eggs. They are the perfect ergonomic shape to fit in your palm. The sound they make is the definition of satisfaction. The weird part is that they only work when you are the one shaking them. When other people shake them, they are just, plain loud.

So many good excuses not to act my age. I'll take any opportunity I can get to let go of adult preoccupations and responsibilities, and just be. I'm grateful that Claire is showing me that I can keep growing old without growing up.

How do you like to play with your kids? What makes you feel young again?


Connect with: Bloglovin'FBTwitterG+Pinterest

24 comments:

  1. I love going to the park and swinging on a swing. It totally makes me feel like a kid!!

    ReplyDelete
  2. My kids made a disaster with Play Dough this past summer, so that experience definitely wasn't relaxing for me, but before that I actually thought it would be fun to play with them with it, too. The dancing though has to be my favorite, because I still love to dance and does totally satisfy that need!!

    ReplyDelete
  3. I like playing with my kids toys! That have evolved since my day lol. But I love playing with my kids. I think I have more fun than they do...and don't get me started on the playground...I run and play. That is the best thing about having kids, you don't seem too weird when you are running around on the playground.

    Thanks for sharing!

    ReplyDelete
  4. This is so true; I love having an excuse to play again. As for Mother Goose, my son asks too many questions about those stories. I usually look for other reading material! We love to play Legos and trains. He enjoys imaginative play and building, which I always did, so it works out well. :)

    ReplyDelete
  5. childhood revisited such a nice post ! :)

    ReplyDelete
  6. Hey I've never heard of the shakable eggs! Are these a "I need to find them now" thing or one that I'm better off remaining ignorant about? Also? YES. I freaking love play dough. Best stuff ever. I love that you and Claire have so much fun together. You're totally right - sometimes childhood is even more fun this time around. Love it.

    ReplyDelete
  7. I love play dough. I usually make it myself and, when it's fresh and warm it is even better! Great stress relief for sure. :)

    ReplyDelete
  8. Dancing is my fave. Also there was one magical day this summer when wet all ran through the sprinkler together. So fun to feel so free.

    ReplyDelete
  9. Dancing is my fave. Also there was one magical day this summer when wet all ran through the sprinkler together. So fun to feel so free.

    ReplyDelete
  10. what a funny whimsical post! first, i need to buy some playdough and keep it in the office to play with whenever i get stressed! second, i used to dance ALL THE TIME. i'd come home from work and dance silly all night in my boxer shorts. you can't do that when you've got a husband. that would just be strange!

    ReplyDelete
  11. Ha! I also love the eggs. But I definitely can't one-up coloring. MAMA LOVES COLORING. Unfortunately, Henry doesn't, but my niece does. :)

    ReplyDelete
  12. Slinkys make me feel young (and still inadequate)! Tried the Play-DOH route for the first time with my 20 month old. We're not quite ready for that just yet! Enjoyed your post! And girl...dance more! It's good for the soul!

    ReplyDelete
  13. You know I love the shakeable eggs, but I must encourage you to dance! We dance to everything. We turn on the stereo in the house and just dance. We even dance to the songs on Sesame Street or Yo Gabba Gabba. Such a rush, and the babies love it!

    ReplyDelete
  14. I love Lincoln Logs. I got them for the boys last Christmas (because I wanted them), and my younger son is FINALLY out of the "knock everything over" stage and lets me build my "elaborate" cabins without immediately destroying them. Play Doh is a STAPLE in our house, so much that I made an executive decision to put off re-carpeting the family room until the boys lose interest in it. BTW, I've found that homemade PD is easier to get out of the carpet. :)

    Keep having fun!

    ReplyDelete
  15. I love this post!! And I so agree, I know I enjoyed and enjoy my childhood much more the second time around!! Dancing, playing bubbles, playing cars and dressing barbies are really fun when you are doing it with your own kids!! So glad you are enjoying your sweet girl!!

    ReplyDelete
  16. I haven't heard of the shakeable eggs. I have seen that slogan you saw on the guy's shirt. :)

    My husband is reliving his youth through our son's current Lego fascination. :)

    ReplyDelete
  17. I love doing crafts with my kids - I've finally figured out I need to do one too so I let them do theirs any way they want...not like I want! We also play board games and now that my son is older - we jump on the trampoline together to bounce the younger ones into next week!

    ReplyDelete
  18. We've been showing my daughter movies that we used to watch when we were younger like Sound of Music and Annie. It's kind of neat to be able to connect like that and reminds me of when I was young! :)

    ReplyDelete
  19. Just catching up with your blog after a six week family holiday, during which I was reminded time and time again that I LOVE Legos. And Lincoln Logs. But the two don't work together particularly well. I don't know why I ever stopped playing with Legos. They're amazing.

    My son reminds me of how deeply satisfying it is to organize a workshop as well -- which is directly parallel to his deep satisfaction with lining up matchbox cars. Sometimes I think I'd do well to act *his* age.

    ReplyDelete
  20. I love playing with my kiddo. It's a relief to take off the mantle of adult for a little bit and just play - no agenda, no goal, just amusement. I love his Legos and Lincoln Logs. I build, he smashes. It's a good partnership.

    ReplyDelete
  21. So true that our kids can make us feel older or younger depending on the day/time/activity. I always feel refreshed and young-ish when I get to take my son alone to the park and we swing next to each other. I also love those rare times I can get my son and my toddler to do the Mickey Mouse Hot Dog dance with me :).

    ReplyDelete

Related Posts Plugin for WordPress, Blogger...