If some of you out there  who are reading this posting are workaholics, I have a confession to make to you.  I am a playaholic.   I know so many people who just don’t have enough time to finish all of their work ever.  They are obsessed with it.  Well, I never get enough time to finish all of my play.  I never pass a court or field or bowling alley or pool table without thinking about having a “go”.   I must say that I am addicted.   I don’t have any issues with choosing between play or work. I always choose play.  Fortunately, by the grace of God, I have a job now that allows me to play all the time.  I am an athletic director.

Play comes naturally to children.  You don’t have to teach playfulness, but you can facilitate it as a life long pattern of energy by putting your children in environments where they are allowed to play hard.   Play is their work.

I think that the biggest factor for developing playfulness and then not giving into being a workaholic has to do with how playful fathers are with their children.  At 57 I am starting to develop some hindsight because now I have grandchildren.  Yesterday I was wrestling with Diego, my 17 month old grandson, on the bed.  We were both rolling with laughter after a few minutes.  Then I thought wow life doesn’t get any better than this.

If you are a father and you are reading this and your work is taking you away from being playful with your children,  you can break the cycle of not having a father who was there for you and just start playing a lot more.  Watch out for the next posting because it is going to be about guilt. Believe me after you are over guilt you can finally kiss all of that useless work you are doing to avoid developing the virtue of playfulness good-by.

If you read my last posting about the nightmare, well, playfulness is the key to all healthy relationships.