One of my parent coaching clients reached out to me and gave me the idea for this free resource. She wanted to know how to play with her daughter.
She tried pretend play, but her daughter kept becoming cross because she wasn’t playing right — she didn’t understand her daughter’s expectations and her daughter could not communicate them. Instead of feeling closer, that play session left her daughter feeling even more distant from Mom.
She tried parent-led play: prepping fun activities such as making slime or other arts and crafts. She put in hours of work sourcing materials and becoming the equivalent of a human die-cut machine. Her daughter treated what was supposed to be a fun boding activity as if it were heavy bondage and rushed through to get free. After hours of prep, the activity lasted only a dozen minutes, if that. It left Mom feeling dejected as well.
She tried boardgames with rules, but the rules simple enough for her daughter to grasp were too simple to keep Mom engaged. Daughter picked up on the fact that Mom was unchallenged by these boardgames that Daughter felt were challenging, if achievable. Daughter felt humored and resented Mom for humoring her.
Finally, she came to me. She wants to connect with her daughter and have fun playful encounters.
Before I reveal what I told her, tell me what guidance you’d offer her.