2 Things I Learned from Playdough and my Son

Playing with Playdough and my son has taught me two things:

• Slow down.
• Enjoy the moment.

They’re simple things to learn, but pretty hard to do. But when you do get to do them, the playful yet peaceful feeling is incomparable.

Peace with Playdough

“Mommy, pway pwaydough with Timmy!” My son has been asking me to play with him more and more. Playdough is one activity he enjoys sharing with me. There’ve been times I’d go, “Okay, I’ll sit beside you. You play, Mommy will work.” Or I’d sit beside him and read a book. But he’d still go, “Mommy! Pway pwaydough!” He won’t stop till I’d put down my phone or my book.

More and more, I’ve been focusing 100% when he’d invite me to “pway pwaydough.” As much as I want to relax my own way, my son asking me to play with him is a moment I can’t just pass up on. Especially since he’s growing up so fast. That’s what motivates me to drop my phone and my book — that I’ll miss out on the joys of sharing playtime with him. So now when he asks me to pway pwaydough, I’m there — 100%.

What a wonderful surprise playdough has been. I love creating new figures for my boy, and playing with the molds that are just like cookie cutters. The Christmas tree playdough activity we shared together was fun. Cutting out playdough trees was pretty relaxing, and the little boy decorated some of the trees with stars and balls.

It’s also fun creating food items together. “Mommy, buhguh! (burger)” He’d then hand me a playdough burger and I’d pretend to eat it. “That was yummy, Timmy! Thank you!”, I’d say. He’d respond, “You’re welcome, Mommy!” Then we’d switch roles and he’d be the burger eater. Sometimes we’d make fries together. For his burger, he’d ask for onions, tomatoes and mushrooms — stuff he doesn’t eat in real life but in the playdough world he totally does.

It’s a different pace when you’re in Playdough world. When your energy is 100% focused on creating playdough lions and elephants (as requested by my little one), time just stops. All that matters is my son, the playdough, and the creations that come out of it.

When you do slow down and enjoy the moment, the feeling is just awesome. It’s playful yet peaceful at the same time. It’s quality time with my son. It’s love.

Hi! I'm Toni Tiu, and I've been blogging at at Wifely Steps since 2003. This started as a blog to help newly weds adjust to married life. It has evolved into a home and parenting blog. I write about things close to my heart -- good eats, good reads, family, marriage, and the little things that make everyday happy.