Kids Don’t Say They Need To Talk To You, They Say ‘Play With Me’

“Mom, will you play with me?”

At age six, this isn’t asked of me much anymore. We do play lots of bored games, video games and spend quality time together doing things like art or reading.

But playing?

It’s just not a thing they ask a lot the older they get.

I was right in the middle of some cleaning when she asked me this and I knew that I had to stop what I was doing and give her my attention.

Because when a kid needs you they don’t come out and say, “Hey mom, I need to talk to you. I need to be with you. Today was a rough day.”

What they do say, is “play with me.”

The first time I saw this quote from Lawrence Cohen I felt it. I knew that it was so very true.

Although they are growing and getting smarter by the day, they often can’t articulate exactly how they’re feeling and what their needs are. That’s why kids with anxiety don’t tell you they’re nervous, they say ‘my stomach hurts’.

They tell you things in the way they know how.

And the thing is, the time they are requesting isn’t much. They need full, undivided attention and focus for a just a short amount of time.

I knew when my daughter asked for my time that I would be right back to finishing up my chores in a half hour.

She needed me and it wasn’t too much to ask for.

When you make time to play with your kids:

♥ Gives them a place to communicate with you.

♥ Releases kids anxiety.

♥ Helps increase their confidence and self -esteem.

♥ Releases oxytocin in YOUR brain!

Remember that when your little one is asking for your attention through play, that they may just be needing to talk to you about something.