Stay Playful. Stay Curious.

I had the pleasure of visiting the computer history museum and doing a tour of Googleplex in Mountain View last Friday.

Did you know that computer history can be traced back hundreds of years, not just to the recent developments in the 20th century? That’s right, hundreds of years ago, inventors were creating punch cards that allowed patterns to be replicated on fabric, and developments in machine automation and systemization are all traces in that have led to computer science development of today.

Maybe computers aren’t your thing… maybe they are… but there’s something else I noticed while at the museum.

There’s an entirely different way we each consume things when out with their families. And for the most part, these styles are almost entirely dependant on people’s roles within a family unit. See if this sounds familiar:

  • Kids’ role: fully interactive, some kids may read more, almost all kids are enthusiastic to run up to each new thing
  • Dad’s role: often gets down to child’s level and interacts, points out interesting things, reads about some things
  • Mom’s role: stands back; holds the kid’s items, etc., encourages kids to get involved but rarely gets involved herself

Do you notice this in your home life, or when you are out and about? The kids are in the forefront, curious, playful, wanting to interact and take it all in. The dad is often right behind them, sometimes right in the middle of the fun. And the mom, often is standing back, being the caretaker, making sure everyone is safe, and that the kids themselves don’t “miss anything.”

Every once in a while you’ll see a mom that is just right there, in the middle of the fun, play & exploring with their child. I don’t know about you, but when I see those moms, I’ve thought “I want to be that mom!” But in the past, my immediate thought was also, “I’m too tired,” or “But I’ve got all this responsibility” like the piles of stuff I was always holding, or making sure the youngest child was safe.

Moms turn off being FUN when they become the CARETAKER

For me, the realization came a few years ago when we were on a family vacation – that I was holding back my own curiousity and playfulness. There was this amazing rock to jump off of, and in my twenties I would have been the first to want to jump off of it, but I saw myself instead only encouraging my husband to jump off it. Then, I realized, why was I telling someone else to do it? If I thought it looked fun, I should do it! So I did! It was exhilerating. More importantly, I realized something very important I was showing my daughter about what women and moms can do.

It was a freeing thought – to re-engage the adventurous spirit that I had almost forgotten for several years as a mom.

So, how do we get rid of being too tired or having too much stuff to be free?

How to we reignite our desire to be curious? To be playful?

  1. Permission to not keep everything together perfectly. Accept imperfection. Accept that it’s not your responsibility alone to make sure everything is cared for.
  2. Remember what you are curious about
  3. Do what you love. All the time. Every day. Express yourself and your truth.
  4. Allow others to take care of themselves. Kids can carry their own snacks, pack their own bags, clean up their own messes — from a very early age. Don’t put yourself in a caretaker role any time that kids’ can instead take it on and establish their own independence.


Are you ready to be more playful and curious? If you’re not sure where to start, I suggest taking the passion & purpose writing challenge – this self-paced writing challenge includes 30 days of prompts that will help you reflect and tap into the true you on the inside and become more expressive, creative & intuitive.