I define “PlaySpace” as the space we enter when time seems to stop and we are in full presence and awe with a child. This term can also be used to describe any moment of pure presence that evokes a sense of joy, peace, and reverence for whatever is in front of us.
As a play-based, pediatric SLP, I like to say that I get to “play” for a living. I work with babies and toddlers. This age group specifically learns best through play and in daily moments with their parents and loved ones.
There have been many moments in my career where I find myself in a unique space in time where I am in full presence and awe of the child sitting in front of me. It feels joyful and light. I am no longer operating from my thinking mind, but have now completely dropped into my heart space.
I know parents know these very specific, overwhelming moments of love toward their child — the smile their baby flashes from across the room, the smell of their baby’s head while they are reading a bedtime book, the shared excitement of scoring a basket on the living room hoop, or the blissful sound of their child saying “I love you”.
I searched for a term to describe these magical fleeting moments, but I could not find one. Therefore, I decided to create my own– PlaySpace.
Rarely do we find ourselves in this level of presence in our fast paced world, so these moments feel like pure magic when they do emerge.
Our modern life can feel like a constant tug in all directions away from the present. Our schedules are overbooked, our phones are constantly whisking us away to a million different places, our running to-do lists haunt our racing-thoughts.
One of the major reasons for creating Playspace Parenting is to invite parents to intermittently step out of the daily rat race and learn how to create more space for themselves and their children. Our culture conditions us into a mentality that says “doing more and having more is better.” However, when we actually tune in, are we moving too fast and missing what actually matters? Are we focusing more on logistics and all the things that we are doing instead of reflecting on who we are being?
When we learn to intentionally create more space, that is when the richness of life can be fully received—family, presence, connection, play, gratitude, appreciation, groundedness, and awe.
Playspace was created as an invitation into a new paradigm of parenting. One that is rooted in connection over control, intentional values over conditioned beliefs, and the convergence of the human heart with the latest science.
Click on the service page to learn more about the Transformational Parenting Program.
