The other day I was playing with my daughter and she wanted to have a pretend camp-out in her room. We set up a sleeping bag as her campsite and were ready to go. As the next part of our game, she wanted me to hand her toys to pack in her “tent.” As I was handing her different items, one at a time as I was being instructed to do, she said, “No, do it calmly mommy. Do it calmly.” 

I was a little surprised by this. I wasn’t feeling activated or in a rush. I thought I was pretty calm, and I was right there with her! When I took a moment to take in her words, though, I think what she was really saying was to do the motions slower; or in other words, to do it mindfully. 

It’s so easy when we are doing an activity with our kids, or anyone really, to also be thinking about our to-do lists. Our minds can quickly wander to our schedules and plans, the meals that need to be made, or errands that need to get run. While I was with my daughter, part of me was there and with her, but if I’m being honest, a large part of me was somewhere else, planning all the things I needed to do later that day. 

So I followed her lead and started to do it slower. I checked in with my body, took a few deep breaths, and tried really hard to be present; to just be there with her fully in that moment and fully in our pretend world she created. I handed her the items, one at a time, at a much slower pace. She even told me to close my eyes at one point. What was really amazing was that as I slowed down and tuned into my body and everything going on right in front of me, my mind started to follow suit. I felt more connected to her and the moment and less to all the other things trying to grab my attention. Sometimes doing it “calmly”, whatever it is, really pays off and allows us to experience what is happening in the here and now!