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Episode #105
Question of the
Day:
Dear Torie, I feel bad for not playing with my kids. They are super cute 5 and 8 year olds who happily live in the moment. I would love to be more like them. When they ask me to play, I TRY to say yes, but either I start cleaning up or I turn it into a lesson. The other day, they wanted me to swim in the pool with them. I WANT to be the kind of mom who can have fun playing in the pool with her kids! I make myself stop cleaning and put my swimsuit on. I wasn’t in there 5 minutes before I started advising them on the proper breaststroke technique and making them swim laps. It’s like I forgot how to play. My daughter wants me to shoot hoops with her in the street. I love that she is excited about playing basketball! I want to encourage her and play with her, but my attention span is so short. I tell myself “just play with her for 5 minutes” but it’s agonizing. I feel like I’m wasting time because there are so many things that need to get done. Can you help this “All work and no play” momma become fun-loving and playful? Tamika
Parent Educator Answer:
The first thing that might be getting in your way is your “play personality”. You say you forgot how to play, but I would offer that what feels like play to your kids, may not feel like play to YOU. In the book Play, by Dr. Stuart Brown, he identifies 8 categories of play, explaining that not everyone plays the same way. It sounds like you are defining play the same way a kinesthete would, “If I’m not moving, it’s not play!”. You want to play with your kids, but if swimming and shooting hoops don’t shift you into a playful state, then “kinesthete” may not be your play personality. You might have more fun curled up on the couch reading books with your kids, or hosting a pool party for them and their friends. The 8 play personalities are:- Kinesthete
- Storyteller
- Director
- Collector
- Competitor
- Creator/Maker
- Explorer
- The Joker
- Left Thinking – Thinks about past and future. Linear and methodical. Gets things done. Details. Categorizes. Plans. Verbal internal chatter. “I am…..” which separates me from everyone else.
- Left Feeling – Always afraid, Bad things are going to happen.
- Right Thinking – Creative, sensory, playful
- Right Feeling – Fascinated, connected, no boundaries. Moments of inexplicable peace. Compassionate

Life Coaching Answer: What gets in our way from hopping into your right brain on command? FEARS
Fear is an emotion in the body. It comes from two places, our instincts and our thoughts.
I remember sitting WAY UP HIGH on a ropes course, held up by one cable above me and a tiny piece of wood below me. I was scared out of my mind. My heart was pounding. My palms were sweating. My mouth was dry. My body was shaking but my verbal mind was quiet. When I got to a place where I could stop and gather myself for a minute, I remember thinking “This is what REAL fear feels like….and it’s pretty damn exhilarating”. The fear I felt on a daily basis I called “fake fear”.
Fake fear comes from scary thoughts inside our head. It’s the verbal, left feeling brain creating imaginary future scenarios, or replaying past scenarios, that we react to as though they are actually happening right now.
“If I take time to play with my kids, work will pile up and I’ll get overwhelmed with work later.”
“A good mom would be able to keep the house clean, put dinner on the table, and happily swim in the pool with the kids when they ask.”
“I don’t have time to play! My boss will be mad, the teacher will think I’m flaky, my kids will get cranky, and I won’t have accomplished anything today!”
Telling yourself “I should have more fun with my kids” is a sure fire way to suck the joy out of the afternoon.
In order to choose which section of the brain you go into at any given moment, we need to release the fears that keep you stuck.
There are many ways to release fears. Two of the best ways Tamika could practice releasing fears on her own, is exercise and breath work.
When the brain goes into the fight or flight response, blood rushes to our extremities, we start sweating and our heart rate increases. You may need to run to the toilet but this physiological response happens without our permission or consent. Even though we might be creating it with a stressful thought like “I can’t mess up”, once the Central Nervous System takes over, it’s on automatic pilot.
When we enter this physiological state, it’s helpful to act on it by going for a run, riding a bike, punching pillows or somehow “fighting or fleeing”. If you have stressful thoughts, any exercise where you work up a sweat can be tremendously helpful to shift you out of fear, and into the state of rest and play.

Supermom Kryptonite – Too much left brain thinking
Kids are great at living on the right side of their brain. They live in the moment, use their imagination, their creativity and exist in a state of play. Parents and teachers dwell on the left side of their brain. We remind kids about the existence of rules, about cleaning up, about time, about what’s coming next. It takes a strong left brain to manage the comings and goings of a family. Doctor’s appointments, grocery shopping, and getting to school on time, could not be managed without a strong left brain. Every time we talk about the plan for the day, or teach them to read from left to right, we are encouraging our children’s left brain thinking. Today’s Supermom Kryptonite is an over-development of our left brains. If we spend too much time following rules, watching the clock, accomplishing tasks, we lose out on the beautiful gifts of right brain thinking. Instead of always trying to bring your kid over to the left brain, try joining them in the right brain. Your kid is playing with superheroes instead of eating breakfast….incorporate the two. Have the superhero eat breakfast with your child, taking turns powering up with fuel to fly into the car. Some of my favorite ways to do this are: “Do Nothing” Days – Create a span of time where the only goal is to accomplish nothing. Exercise Classes are so good for my creative idea machine I sometimes bring a notebook to class. Sitting in the sunshine for 5 minutes and focusing on my breath. Going for a walk in nature without my phone (if no one’s watching, sometimes I skip 🙂 Sacred pet the doggy time, sacred chocolate, morning coffee Floating in water: hot tubs, pools, lakes, etc. Watching the sunset Holding a newborn baby DancingSupermom Power Boost – Meditation

10 Powerful Questions
5 Questions every morning to give you clarity and intention.
5 Questions every evening to give you satisfaction and gratitude.
This is the best way to get you in the driver’s seat of your life.