My four young boys have greatly impressed upon me the
value of daily wrestling matches. I am convinced that these children
actually have some sort of inner quota that I must meet for them to function at
optimum health. For the sake of their overall well-being, I simply must
find time for a hearty tickle-fight.
If you also have small children, you may want to consider
incorporating this into your own daily homeschool and/or fitness plan.
Preliminary studies (in this house) have shown several
surprising benefits of the daily wrestle for both mother and child. They
are as follows, in no particular order.
Burn off
those cinnamon rolls: for
both mother and child. You can burn about 300 calories in a half hour- if
you are playing with enthusiasm! (just think- approximately 10 minutes will
burn off that snack-size Snickers bar!)
Practice
the liturgy of apology: Someone
screams in pain. Someone screams "it was an accident!" Mother
reminds, "even if it is an accident, the kind thing to do is stop to see
if they are OK and say you are sorry that they got hurt. Do that now and then
we will get back to wrestling."
Teach them
to stuff their emotions:
Someone
screams in pain, again. Mother gets very serious, examines the injury, and
says, "Oh no... I guess I will have to cut it off!" Child
stops screaming, giggles, and runs away. Wrestling resumes.
Your kids
will be smarter: Teach
them things they won’t learn in preschool. Even young children can learn
the fine distinctions between a tickle and a pinch, and the nuances of a zerbit and a bite. (I love that somebody wrote up
a definition for zerbit.)
Collect
more data: Observe which
children understand the art of "talking smack." Some children may get
serious and worried. Others will light up and reveal their inner smart-aleck.
Earn some
quiet time:
Wrestling done
well will yield tired children who will sit in front of the TV for a half hour
without fighting. (How do you think I find time to blog?)
Teach them
to debate under pressure: Mother
voices grave concern over the condition of the child's toes. "Oh no!
Your toes are loose! I'm going to have to pull them for you!" Child
then must attempt to reason with mother while laughing and panicking.
Teach them
not to crumble:
When the
wrestling leads to one screaming, then two, then all of them, do not be fooled.
It is a strategy they use to get mom to fix everything like she always does. Mother's counter-attack:
throw self on the floor in imitation of the most dramatic child and wail
along with them. Within 15 seconds one will start laughing, and the fun
will resume.
Impress
their friends:
Wrestle
your kids when their friends are over. Experience the enjoyment of pinning your
child on the mat while his wide-eyed foreign friend stares at you with a mix of
fear and awe.
Reign them in: There is a time and a place for cannon-balling into each other and sitting on large piles of little boys, there is also a time to stop such things. A good lesson for all involved.
Give
affection on the sly:
Some children
pretend to be too big or mature for hugs, but playful wrestling can be a
well-received form of affection.
Let 'em at
you. They'll love it.
And in truth,
you don’t have to “feel like it” for it to be fun... for them. Your kids can
experience the full enjoyment of kneeing you in the back whether you are
healthy or sick. Your headache does not make the tackling any less
hilarious. Little kids are very flexible that way.
Impress
other mothers: Nothing
says “I’m an awesome mom” like scratches on your face.