Anyone else experience the cart before the horse syndrome? You know, when you get so excited about something you forget to mention why you’re doing it? Yeah, that’s me, today. I launched my next five day play adventure but forgot to tell you so here we go! Over the weekend I originally found this piece by Harvard psychologist Jennifer Breheny Wallace that has been weighing on my mind. This morning, I went back to re-read it and thought it would be a great exploration for our community. Short summary, after working with thousands of families, she found a common, heavy thread: our children are wearing a "lead vest" of performance pressure. Many kids today believe their value is tied to their "output”, their grades, their starting positions, and their social standing. They feel they only truly "matter" when they are achieving. In this community, we believe Play is the antidote. It’s the one space where a child can be "useless" in the best way possible. When we play without a goal, we tell our kids: "I value you for who you are, not what you can produce." Starting today, I’m launching the Mattering Through Play 5-Day Reset. How it works: Every day for the next five days, I’ll be sharing two posts: - The Education: A short insight into why our kids feel this pressure and how we can shift the narrative. - The Play: A 15-minute activity designed to build connection, agency, and resilience. These aren't your typical "keep them busy" activities. They are designed to help our kids shed that lead vest and rediscover their own sense of mattering. Will you join us? Drop a "Count me in" below if you’re ready to prioritize connection over achievement for the next 5 days. Tagging some of the members who have expressed interest in more play-based ideas. @Lisa Vanderveen, @Erica Sisco-Dube, @Erin O'Neill, @Janell Bitton, @Anna Brown, @Celia Kibler, @Catherine McDowell, @Yu-Tzu Huang, @Mukkove Johnson, @Sharon Otaguro, @Ramona Zihlke, @Rene Kerkdyk, @Shannon Boyer

Hopping on the gif train. Pick 3-4 gifs that highlight your week. Let’s play!

This morning, I was reading an article on CNBC by Harvard psychologist Jennifer Breheny Wallace who highlighted a heavy reality: many of our children are wearing what she calls a "lead vest" of performance pressure. Through her work with thousands of families, she found that kids increasingly believe their value is tied to their "output", their grades, their sports stats, or their social standing. They feel they only truly "matter" when they are achieving. When every drawing is immediately hung on the fridge or every goal is caught on video for social media, we can accidentally reinforce the idea that the result is what matters most. Let’s get real here, how many of us feel the same pressure? The antidote to this pressure is found in moments where there is no "score" to keep. When we play without a goal, we send a powerful, silent message to our kids: "I value you for who you are, not what you can produce." Today, we are going to intentionally create something that cannot be kept, graded, or "won." We’re going to practice the art of the temporary. Pop over to Play Ideas & Prompts for the activity. Here’s the article I was reading. https://www.cnbc.com/2026/02/26/harvard-psychologist-who-worked-with-1000-kids-why-so-many-children-are-struggling-today.html

I tried something new today and I understand it’s not always possible when you have kids at home. I got up at 4:30, did the dishes, fed the cats, and brewed my tea. That is not unusual. What’s new, I took my tea outside, in the quiet and the relative dark to look for the moon. The news said the lunar eclipse would be in full glory between 5:04 and 6:04. Alas, the sky was cloudy and my neighbors were probably thinking who is that crazy lady walking in the street, mug in hand, staring at the sky? No moon. Just quiet and so I sit on my porch, tea in hand, waiting for a break in the clouds. How do you start your day?

Ok, I took the day away yesterday. I hope you all had a lovely Saturday. Some of you may recall, I’m also a play advisor for a company called Discovery Toys. They have some of the best educational toys I’ve seen. Anyway, yesterday I was set-up at a local school for their spring fundraiser, introducing our toys and our community to local families. Let me say, the desire for play and more human connection is strong. Here are two of the most popular toys. Why do you think they are so appealing? How did you spend your weekend?