Do adults ever play?

Calvin & Hobbes
 Source: Calvin & Hobbes 1





Daddy-Daughter Campout









When I think of my kids playing I recognize they are accomplishing significant things. They’re not just doing ‘nothing.’ My kids hum and sing and make all sorts of noise while playing in the dirt, mud and building forts. All make-believe worlds involve active imaginations. There’s significant physical activity, even brain activity, at work! There may be a game or an invention being tinkered with, and progress is being made. It’s supremely active. That is what kids do when they play in unstructured space; they bring the creativity with them.

Yet adults tend to pick up the habit of being entertained (amused2, instead of musing) as a way of play. But this practice backfires because the passivity of sitting with “screen time” (as my kids call it) rarely renews a person. We give up the fight to be and grow and start settling for feeling nothing.

A while back I asked a group of early twentysomethings what they did for fun in recent weeks. Anticipating a spark would ignite about adventures and some shared experiences to push the conversation forward, I was met with mostly blank stares. Then one after another they mentioned going out to eat then heading to the movies, or staying in and binge-watching episodes of their favorite TV shows. Not surprisingly, each was tired and sapped of any enthusiasm. (And thus soon bored of our gathering.)

Our comforts have led us down the road of apathy. Play can lead us out of that dead end. Let’s put down the gadgets, or trade it in for another gadget to track our outdoor adventures. Whatever you choose, go for it.

Exercise has many benefits; a chief one for me is allowing for time to think and reflect.

Exercise has many benefits; a chief one for me is allowing for time to think and reflect. It turns the world upside-down for a brief time, to make sense of it all when I get back.

I’m grateful we were able to get outdoors for a couple days, to connect as Daddys and Daughters, to play without an agenda, and accomplish the significant milestone of building lasting memories together. That’s worth tracking.

You’ve invited to play along with me in a fun fundraiser for clean water in East Africa.

  2. amuse means to not think, as in a-muse

One thought on “Do adults ever play?

  1. Awesome insight!! I seem to need to be reminded daily of my need to play more, or often to just play at all. Left to my own devices I allow the weight of my real (and mostly perceived) responsibilities, and my subsequent failures, steal the joy that I am commanded to live in. I believe that joy is commanded, not as a goal, but as a symptom of a life well lived. I love your words on our tendency to trade being entertained for being happy. Truly impacted by this. Thank you!

    Thank you for sharing this. It was good to see you and Heidi there.

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