To Play or Not to Play

"Dad, can we play Legos tonight?" “We'll see, Toby, Daddy has to finish some important paperwork first.”

Too often, the sound of my sons asking me to play with them ring in my ear. It always seems as if there is something "important" on my list to do, that keeps me from spending time with my kids. Although I do make an effort to spend time with my four kids, I do not spend enough. I fear that later in life, I will have many regrets that plague my thoughts in regard to the dearth of time spent with my kids. I often imagine myself sitting in a rocking chair when I am 80-something, pondering my faults and regrets. I know that if I am able to identify my potential regrets now, then I might be able to change my course.

If we as parents just spend a little reflective time in that hypothetical rocking chair, contemplating our potential regrets, we could save ourselves from a future of self-inflicted contrition.

I think we need to spend more of our time saying “yes” to our kids’ requests to play with us, rather than, "Daddy's too busy to play with you right now." Our kids are only young once; let's make sure we don't waste away their childhood with "important" work-related tasks. After all, what can be more important than playing Legos with your 6-year-old?