The Games People Play!

"Will you play with me Grandma/Papa?"

I read an article yesterday about the importance of play.  A mom was asked by her 7 year old to "play Barbies with me Mom?"  She said no, she had dishes to do. Then it hit her, "I think I've forgotten how to play. I've been doing dishes for too long!"
 We're definitely a different generation.  I remember my grandmother playing games at holiday time with us. We'd play button-button who's got the button. Lee's Grandma always had games for us to play on holidays. My parents would play card games with us or occasionally help with a puzzle but I have no memory of them actually playing with me/us.  I remember playing with my kids.  We'd pitch them the ball, we'd play games in the pool, we'd struggle through monopoly and provide the games......but actual playing...not so much.   And then we became grandparents! Now, when our bones ache, our minds don't understand and our eyes won't focus, we're ready to play......much more ready and willing than able;-)
We even have an entire little building devoted to playing. We dance and sing, we play checkers and lose (and not on purpose), we run races, play soccer, build forts, play Clue, do puzzles, build towns, make fairy gardens and even slide down hill.. (thanks Papa for volunteering for that one Family Feud..of course we do, we're Hatfield's, we're the reason there even is Family Feud!!!

!) Never a visit or dinner or car ride goes by that we don't play some kind of game.  We play word games and math games, Jeopardy and I Spy. We even play our own version of
Do we get tired? ..you bet!  Is it worth every ache and pain?.. Undeniably! Do we hope they'll remember that we played?  Absolutely.... but we mostly hope WE remember that we played and loved every single second♥