Fun and Games

Parcheesi wasn’t Mikey’s favorite game, but Will and Mimi loved it.  I probably sound like a broken record as I say…at any given moment family life may not be all about your special kiddo.  We are a family of four.  When my mom was visiting, five people and two dogs were hanging out together. Many opinions and needs were at play.

We adore Mikey and we try to take great care of him, but it was not – and is not – our family philosophy that everything needs to be about Mikey, geared towards Mikey and focused on Mikey.  We see it as our job to support the needs of both of our kids, do some things for ourselves and teach our kids how to behave when things are not geared towards them.

In this case, Will and Mimi chose a game.  Mikey was invited to play if he wanted, but he declined.  I offered a popcorn snack, which was Mikey’s favorite, as a consolation prize.  At the time, popcorn was not a favorite of Will’s, so I knew it would be a special thing for Mikey. Mimi shared some popcorn with Mikey and a fun game with Will.

The end goal: something for everyone and everyone feels loved. 

And

Everyone gets an opportunity to tolerate something that is not their favorite. What may look like just a board game and a snack is actually practice being part of a family. It is, therefore, practice being part of a group.  Learning life skills like this helps prepare our kids to be part of the larger group for the rest of their lives.

If your goal is for your child to be included, they need to practice being part of things when every aspect of the activity is not geared specifically towards them.

For more on the benefits of board games, click the link below.