Playing with our Children

I was standing in line at the bank the other day when I noticed a mother and her two year old in front of me.  The little guy had three toy figures and was playing with them while waiting for his mother to conduct her business at the teller's window.  Instead of running around or whining, he was engrossed in the most natural activity of childhood:  playing.  He was developing his imagination while pretending; projecting his thoughts and feelings onto his three toy figures: one red, one yellow, one green.  I heard him say "Mom, you be the green one." and fortunately this wise mother engaged with him in play while waiting for the teller to return.  They dialogued and had fun together, strengthening their bond, helping this toddler see his mother as available and helping this todder to feel valuable.  It was just a simple act, stopped when the teller returned, but a critical piece in the developmental life of this child.  If each parent played with their child each day,  we child therapists would be out of work!