some thoughts on play.

i only worked as a Licensed Professional Counselor (LPC) long enough to get my license before staying home full time with my babies.

but in those few short years of seeing clients, I spent the majority of my time seeing children and adolescents.

my sessions, more often than not, involved play.

"you can discover more about a person in an hour of play than in a year of conversation." plato.

i fully believe this to be true.

it amazed and humbled me every single time a little person would open up right before my eyes and welcome me into their world.

even the most closed adolescent would soften and heal when we involved elements of play.

"we are never more fully alive, more completely ourselves, or more deeply engrossed in anything, than when we are at play." C.E. Schaefer

play changed me in these moments of therapy.

being welcomed to witness the depths of another soul cannot help but leave you different. better.

it softens you.

challenges you.

sharpens you.

it deepens you.

i have taken all of this home with me. purposed child-directed play with my boys throughout our days.

taken every opportunity to dive into their world, and rather than direct their play, i simply follow.

follow them into a world where they learn and teach each other social skills.

a world where they defeat evil with good and love.

a world where they are in control, make their own decisions and solve their own problems.

a world where they are strong and capable.

a world where they take my hand and show me all the innocence forgotten in adulthood.

a world where everything is simple, yet full.

this world is where my boys practice skills and character that they will take into adulthood.

i am honored to hold their hands and follow them there.

i hope i never stop.