Squishy Couch
Last night, my children played one of their favorite games with their dad. It's called squishy couch (I wish I had taken a picture....)(where's that darn digital camera when you need it?).They take every single couch cushion, every bed or sofa pillow, every blanket, in the whole house and pile it on top of a prone Music Man, who is stretched out on the couch.
Then they launch themselves onto it/him. Bounce, jounce, squeal, laugh, jump...until someone rolls off and gets hurt.
Thirty seconds later, they're back at it, playing Kid of the Mountain while Music Man lies underneath, his face turned out so he can breathe, and lets them have a raucus time. With all that padding, they can't hurt him.
He loves that game, because he's playing with them, but he gets to relax at the same time. Pretty smart guy, eh?
Do you have any favorite games you played with your father...or your children?
Colleen Gleason stepped onstage at 10/09/2006 08:46:00 AM
19 Comments:
I think we played non-injury-inducing games like Scrabble or Monopoly.
My Dad was not a roll around on the floor type of Dad (but I LOVE to hear about those that are! Good for Music Man!
I remember the times we played Uno and board games as a family and we always had a good time!
I know just us kids wold do a lot of "dog piling" stuff like what you described. We also loved taking our bunk bed mattresses and ride them down the steps ... until Mom would catch us and yell about destroying the mattresses! (Good times!)
I like playing hand games with my nieces and nephews (Cross down went billy and "yer to slow!")
When they were really little I'd play airplane with them (you know, lay on yer back and lay their tummy's on your feet and raise them up?)...
When my oldest nephew was a baby ( probably about 10 months old)(this is awful) I'd hang him buy his ankles and tick tock him back and forth like a clock. He'd laugh until he decided it was scary then we'd stop. (Man, I can't believe he was ever that small .. he's almost as tall as me now!)
My favorite game to play with my father was Airplane. He would lie on his back on the floor and place his feet together. I would stand by his feet, and he would place them on my chest. I'd take his hands, and he'd lift me up into the air. I would always be so scared when he would let my hands go! He would move me back and forth and side-to-side. That was so awesome!
My favorite game to play with my father was Airplane. He would lie on his back on the floor with his feet together. I would stand by his feet, and he would place them onto my chest. Taking my hands, he would lift me into the air. I was always so frightened when he would let go! He would move me back and forth and from side to side. It was so awesome!
Hee hee, N. As the mother who hears the bangs and crashes, and invariably has to soothe the bumped knees or heads, I wish they played quieter games too...but they're still young and love to be active.
Zeek, my father wasn't a roll on the floor kind of guy either, nor was he a board game guy. He didn't spend much time with us at all, which is why I particularly love to see the three munchkins rolling on the floor with Music Man.
In fact, one of the reasons he looked forward to having kids was for just that reason: so he could be on the floor under a pile of them.
Marina, I'm glad Zeus let you borrow the keyboard for bit. I know he's pretty busy on it most of the time. I like the airplane game too, and have done that with my kids when they were younger too.
My Music Man takes the airplane game a bit further (why are you not surprised to hear this?) and lets them "crash" onto the nearby couch. They love that too.
All in all, it's lovely "music" to hear while I'm cleaning up the dishes after a nice Sunday night, family dinner.
Our father's were probably more alike then you think ... the board games were rare. Maybe twice that i can remember? That's why we were so excited when it happened.
I totally get where you're coming from. :)
You got it, Zeek, sistah!
My kids do this to my husband, they roll and wrestle and generally go crazy like a pack of wolves, sigh . . .
I have one memory of my father that I remember most fondly. It was the "dancing" game, where he would let me stand on his feet and we would dance around the room. In that one moment, I would feel like a princess, not feel like I was tucked away in the shadows. I am thankful that I have that memory, and now as a single parent, I make sure that my children are given daily doses of Knighthood and Princess titles with loads of hugs, tickling, sword battles, charades, talent performances and most importantly the feeling of being "loved".
My hubby, son and (male) dog play these games, too. Whenever I try to join in I end up injured--so far I've had a black eye, been headbutted in the teeth and almost broken my nose. I now leave those reindeer games to the boys. Although, I am fantastic at tickle torture.
My dad and I used to take a lot of road trips together. We'd play the liscense plate alphabet game and make up new songs based on ones we heard on the radio.
My dad and I played baseball and read comic books. Guess I was the son he never had. :-) He also took me to dance classes every Saturday morning. We'd start by going out to breakfast, then going to an arcade. After that: class. Then off to the comic store. Saturdays were awesome.
Love the blog, Colleen! Methinks I must link here!
Jackie and Jaye, lucky gals on having involved fathers.
I was wondering (but this never made it into the blog post), whether there is a greater involvement with fathers from this generation (meaning our husbands) than our own generation (meaning our own fathers) because of cultural and societal changes.
Is it different now? More acceptable for fathers to spend quality time with their children? Is it because more women work, and more fathers are sharing the household responsibilities?
Or was it just that my exposure to a father, and other friends' fathers, who weren't that involved with their kids was an anomaly?
Actually, Colleen, my father wasn't that involved. My parents were divorced so the road trips were pretty much all the time I spent with him. It was the typical situation where he wanted to be the fun dad while my mom got stuck being the heavy.
I think dads are more involved now. This is especially important for boys. My son is reaching the stage where he's more interested in hanging with daddy. I'm trying not to get my feelings hurt cause I know it's good for him.
I played Monopoly, Trouble and Poker with my grandfather.
Great post! My dad wasn't much for games that required he get on the floor (or couch) and rough-house, but he would 'pinkie-wrestle' me. That entailed him putting up his pinkie in a standard arm-wrestling stance ... and I would hold on with both hands and try to 'pin' him. I never won. Not once. :)
My dad wasn't one to get down and play with me, but something that I did love were nights he let me play "hairdresser". He would sit in his comfy chair watching "Dallas" or "HeeHaw" or some football game and I would stand behind him on the chair with my pretend blowdryer and curling iron, my brush and combs, rollers and curlers, etc. I'd spend hours pretending to do his hair and he'd be okay with me piling endless curlers and barettes in his hair. I loved being nestled between his back and the back of his chair and that time that was just for us.
I've been talking to my aunt who says that her father wasn't involved at all with them growing up. She's asked me several times if my father (her brother) was active in my life growing up.
I think it is a generational change. I think my father was more involved with my childhood than his father was but certainly not like I see my friends' are with their children and when I look at how their fathers were with them, certainly they weren't that involved either.
In fact, I was just commenting on someone else's blog earlier that her kids were lucky to have a mom like her and to be growing up in a time like this. Growing up now, I think parents and kids are a lot more close, open, and sensitive to each others' needs.
N., I think you're right. Our children are a lot closer to their parents in many (not all) ways. I do attribute a lot of it to the two-parents-working, and also just a more acceptable way to behave (dads hanging with their kids).
Annie, what a gorgeous memory of you and your dad! I love it. Did he have really long hair, or just a lot of it?
Post a Comment
<< Home