Adulting is hard work. Bills, work, cleaning, wearing matching socks, and doing laundry all grow old for a while and that’s just the easy stuff! With the holidays quickly approaching life tends to get that much busier and stressful for all of us.
Kids don’t know how good they have it. What I wouldn’t give for someone to make me take a nap each day and feed me on demand. While we can’t skirt the responsibilities of adulthood forever, sometimes it’s necessary to get back to our roots. I’m not just talking about sneaking off to the closet to gorge yourself on ransacked Halloween candy either. Although, that’s always a valid option.
7 Ways to Be a Kid For a Day
Family Game night is always a good solution. Dust off an old school board game or get creative with card games. Hop on the Pokemon train and show your kids how your generation played the game. Or even better, let your kids show you hey they do it nowadays on the new Nintendo 3DS XL. With games for both the young and the young at heart, it’s a great device for family bonding time. Some of my most favorite memories from my childhood are centered around playing video games with my family. I can remember thinking my dad was pretty cool for knowing how to play the games – haha! Letting the kids teach the parents how to do one of their favorite past times is a great way to encourage communication and closeness. It’s a welcome respite from always being the nagging parent!
Make Breakfast for dinner. Remember how as a kid our eating schedule was not harnessed by something so arbitrary as time. When pancakes were an acceptable meal at all hours of the day and not something “crazy” we whipped up for dinner once in a while? Get silly with it and turn your pancakes into family members with fruit faces and smiles.
Camp out in the backyard. I still remember the first time my parents let my siblings and I pitch a tent in the backyard. The thrill of sleeping outside in the dark mingled with just a tiny bit of fear that you were sleeping outside. In the dark. Don’t forget the s’mores and spooky ghost stories!
Head to an amusement park. Nothing brings back childhood nostalgia quite like an amusement park. The lights, the thrills, the sounds and smells all quickly transport one back to a simpler time; when our biggest concern was whether or not we had finally grown tall enough to squeak by the height requirement.
Play dress up. Break out that box of old Halloween costumes and play dress up. Try turning it into a game. Use the costumes to create characters from your movie and act out scenes in a spin on charades.
Build a blanket fort. What brings you back to your childhood more than pitching the ultimate blanket forts using every piece of furniture in the house? Whenever I’m feeling homesick while traveling, I make forts in my hotel room. At home, I spend the day watching movies, snacking on popcorn and cuddling up with my favorite people. The holidays are about spending time together but as we’re busy rushing from one place to the next the time we spend together is rarely quality. This is a great way to slow the world down for a day.
Nintendo of America provided me with a New Nintendo 3DS XL system and games for review. All opinions and thoughts are my own.