I don’t know about all you other wives out there, but I love watching my husband play with our kids. Especially when he plays with the boys. I don’t know what it is, but I love watching them play. Maybe it’s because they have so much fun. Maybe it’s because the boys act so differently when they are playing with their Dad versus when they play with me. I don’t know what it is, but I love it.
This morning, our four-year-old, Paul, wanted Dad to play with his action figures with him. So, they emptied his toy bin onto the dining room table and set them all up. They played Paw Patrol/Optimus Prime versus the wild animal figures. And oh my, did they play. I haven’t heard so much roaring and growling and yelling in a long time. Don’t get me wrong. There is plenty of yelling and growling that goes on around here on a regular basis, but this was about 50 notches higher. I don’t even want to know what the decibel level was in here this morning!
It all started off so nicely too. They were playing nicely and quietly. There was an actual story line to what they were playing. They were all friends playing in the woods or desert or something. I was doing the dishes and trying to help the other kids at the same time, so I’m not 100% sure what the actual story line was, but there was a method to the madness.
Just as I was finishing the dishes, the “niceness” suddenly deteriorated, the noise went through the roof, and the toys started flying. It went from being a nice, calm game/plot to being an all-out brawl. Boys are so weird! And loud!
The point of the game was now to see who could kill off the other opponent. Paul was Optimus and the Paw Patrol. Phillip was the wild animals. And both sides were working their hardest to eliminate the other. And both sides suffered tremendous loss. I never realized how far small toys could fly when an over-powered little boy started playing really hard! And his Daddy didn’t help the situation either!
One by one, the toys were picked off and thrown/shoved off the “mountain.” The mountain was the dining room table. It finally came down to one toy each. I think Paul still had his Optimus, but I have no idea which animal Phil still had alive. As you can see from the picture, things got a little heated and out of hand…
Paul was very much into winning this game and beating his Dad. And Phillip was having way too much fun watching him get into it and encouraging his aggression. It was pretty hilarious to see, really. Paul was not going to let up until he was the last man standing.
In the end, Paul and Optimus won the battle. Phillip bowed out gracefully and accepted the defeat. I don’t think Paul has had that big of a smile on his face in a while. He loves to play with his Dad. And he especially loves to win whatever game against his Dad. The rivalry has started already!
It is so good for kids to play with their parents. It helps them in so many ways. And, personally, I think it helps the parents, too. It relieves so much stress on both parties. Yes, it is different types of stress, but everyone feels stress to some degree. And playing helps to relieve some of that. Even if the game is short, it will release some of that pent up stress and frustration. And it’s a beautiful sight. I love my husband so very much, and days like today just deepen that. He is such an amazing Daddy to all these kids. He takes time out for each of them individually. He makes each individual child feel like they are the only one around when he takes the time every day for them. I love it. And so do the kids. They are so strong in so many ways, and I think a lot of it, if not all of it, has to do with their Daddy taking time for each them as individuals. He helps them with their weaknesses and encourages their strengths. He sees their dreams and goals and helps them work toward it. He is their biggest fan, and it shows.
These kids love their Daddy, and their Daddy loves them even more. And I’m pretty sure that this is one of my favorite parts of life. Nothing can compare to the feeling of seeing that. God has blessed us beyond what we could have ever asked for or come close to deserving. I love my little family, and I’m so thankful that God brought us together and gave us all these little beauties to raise. The blessings are beyond words.
I hope you all have a great rest of your weekend. Happy Saturday!
Imperfection At Its Finest 