Playing Ball in the House . . .

. . . I highly recommend it, if the alternative is to put off a promise to play together. The day tends to pick up speed in the evenings, and promises to play together tend to get harder to keep. Before we know it, we're in our pajamas, ready for bed, and much too tired to play. Interestingly, Emerson said that we remember most the things we love the most or hate the most. I think kids love nothing more than a meaningful promise and hate nothing more than an empty one. So, whether we keep them or not, kids always remember our promises. Having already bargained with my son to postpone a game together once, we went downstairs after the girls when to bed and played soccer in the living room. One might argue that this was a bad idea given the risk that careless 3-4-year olds would break something. Putting aside the fact that we own nothing of value, I disagree with that argument. I've noticed that when my son has my undivided attention, he takes great care to maintain my trust, make me proud, and even mimic me. Sure, there is a risk, especially if I'm careless, but it diminishes significantly when playing ball in the house means keeping a promise to spend quality time together.