Play Dates: Not Just for Kids Anymore
We don't stop playing because we grow old; we grow old because we stop playing.-- George Bernard Shaw *
For years we’ve heard about the importance of play for children. Play is a creative outlet, a means of developing an imagination, a critical step toward becoming a good adult. As a result, many parents schedule play dates for their children. They don’t want anyone to say of our child, “All work and no play make Jack a dull boy.”
Wouldn’t that saying hold true for adults, though (parents or not)? Perhaps Jack’s parents didn’t let Jack play because they didn’t play themselves. They should have scheduled play dates for Jack—and themselves.
Does being an adult mean giving up playing?  Unfortunately, it seems too many adults think it does. They feel guilty for stealing even a few minutes of leisure from an overscheduled day. I used to be like that, but my son showed me the light.
One day as I raked leaves, I watched with jealousy as he played on the swing set. I asked him, “Why do kids get all the fun?” He smiled knowingly and called, “Come on the swing, mommy!” At first I laughed at the idea, since the swing set is made for 3-7 year olds. I imagined passersby saying, “I always thought she was a little weird, but now I know she’s crazy!” However, I threw caution to the wind. Before I knew it, I was pointing my toes to the sky, ignoring the creaking of the protesting swing set.
That is just one example of how adults can fit a little leisure into each day. It doesn’t take planning or money—just the willingness to let go of wrongful notions. What’s so wrong about spending time swinging, swimming, or singing a while every day if it feels fun? What’s so bad about going mounting climbing, sailing, skiing or hiking once a week if you enjoy it? Remember how you used to feel when you were ten years old and floating around the lake in an inner tube? Instead of wasting a beautiful Saturday afternoon drafting notes for a meeting next week, why don’t you grab a friend and go to the lake for a play date?
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