Value of Imagination, Family Play

Imagination Adventure:

A bed becomes a boat,
Blue silk below a sea,
Sticks catch fish,
We set them free.

Last night our small family sailed for 45 minutes in Wesley's bed. Together we turned our sail to capture the wind over the sea as our magic fishing poles pulled up whales, sharks, snakes, dragonflies and butterflies.

For those few minutes, we lived in a fantasy world, where Wesley was Captain and we his little mates.

The fantasy didn't stop when we tucked him in to bed. He saw stars and spaceships above his head and he heard the songs of frogs and birds though the night was silent.

Engaging a child's (along with your inner child's) imagination, and letting them fill the room with their fantasies shows them -- in a way that words can not tell -- that our time with them is valuable and their imagination and play time is valuable.

And still it's more: During the bedtime play Wesley re-enacted the time he fell into the bog at the Chapel Hill Botanical Gardens. I believe that during the re-enactments of having both mommy and daddy alternatively pull him out of the water and take care of him he was resolving some emotional residue related to the event. After about 5 re-enactments -- he started to swim in the water.

Play is a powerful invaluable tool for children -- and for the watchful parent, for we can learn through their play how they are doing. And often, how we are doing as well.