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PARALLEL PLAY IS AN IMPORTANT LIFE SKILL FOR KIDS ASHLEE COFFEY
Momaha.com Editor
“B
ut I want him to play with me!” This is a common phrase I hear from my 5-year-old son, Elliott. Normally, my two kids play together nicely. But sometimes my 8-year-old son, Sam, decides he either wants to read or just play with toys by himself.
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January 2022
This isn’t OK with Elliott. He’s always been a bit of a needy child. When he was an infant, I called him my “Velcro baby.” He always needed to be with me or my husband. If he didn’t see us in the room with him, he’d cry. As he’s grown, it’s stayed much the same, though he has gained some independence. Especially when Sam started school and no longer attended daycare with
him. That was a big turning point for us. But then the coronavirus pandemic hit and both of my kids stayed home with us for more than a year. Gone were Elliott’s days of being without any of his family members. There were no other kids to play with. No other adults to interact with. Just us. He regressed a lot. Starting school this year has definitely helped him,
