The other day, I was playing with my daughter. We were using brooms as guitars. I was having so much fun jamming on that pretend guitar and Emily had the biggest smile on her face watching her mommy play like a kid. It got me thinking about how children bring out the child in us.

I can’t even remember the last time I pretended that a broom was a guitar. Obviously, it’s not something I would have noted in a calendar or anything like that. Still, I think it’s true of most people that we stop playing, pretending, and sometimes just enjoying life once we grow up. I’m lucky that I teach third graders, because I get to exercise my imagination more often than many other professionals.

And it’s not so much the fact that I get to use my imagination as it is that I let down my guard, let go of my beliefs on how an adult should behave, and enjoy the freedom of pretending and playing. It’s liberating and I highly recommend you do something fun and imaginative today.

Maybe you should jam on your own broom guitar. I suggest rocking out to the song, “Jumpin’ Jack Flash” by The Rolling Stones. Or maybe do some old-skool coloring in a coloring book. There’s something therapeutic about coloring, I swear! Help your kid build a fort out of sheets, cushions, and furniture. On a nice day, go to the park and kick around a soccer ball. On a really hot day, turn on the sprinklers and run through them with your child, or better yet, allow your child to chase you around with the garden hose.

If you have other fun ideas which you’d like to share with readers, please feel free to leave a comment. Thanks!