Playing with Your Kids is Everything

Daily Dad, August 7th

The more complex the mind, the greater the need for the simplicity of play.

-Captain James T. Kirk

I remember this Star Trek episode- Shore Leave- better than almost any other. It begins with the crew’s need to relax, after working for three straight months. They come across a planet that is strange and wonderful, but weird things begin to happen. In the end, the knots are tied and the bow is set. They meet the keeper of the planet. They learn that this place conjures up whatever they can think of (women, food, a white rabbit, etc). A member of The Enterprise crew asks why the alien race, so powerful and smart, has a whole planet just for play. The Captain makes this remark. The crew returns to the ship after spending a while having leave on the planet.

Spock comments that their leave is illogical. He prefers to sit and do nothing to achieve rest.

Yet, even with the classic story, that quote sticks with me. I’m not sure if that is because I like the way it sounds, or that it implies that I am a great mind and therefore should be able to play. There are more Kirkisms in that first season than you can count, and still, this one prevails for me.

Now that I have a child, play has become a normal and regular part of my daily life. There is nothing that refuels the soul like the incredible laughter of your baby, the unstoppable screams of when he’s having fun. Having such joy in my life, is the greatest blessing. As he ascends the videogame-like “tech tree“ of human ability, there are more ways to play. If I am going through it, I know that he will be there looking to throw things and be surprised by a peek-a-boo.

I still find playfulness with my own father as well. Often this comes in the form of fishing on a dock, cruising on a boat, or sitting around a campfire. More active play comes when we share a whisky, or when the whole family is together and we play our own version of charades. While we do not wrestle any longer, we find ways to still engage with that side of who we are and how we interact.