Parents who were physically or emotionally unavailable for their children during their infancy need extra playtime with their children as a healing therapy just as much as they need the Holding Time that Tahna Luvvas writes about in her article on this same Kid Power website. Research has also shown that when parents play with each of their children individually, it not only increases the child's self- esteem, but it also decreases sibling rivalry. A parent needs to have the other children in the family taken care of so that he or she can devote one hundred percent attention to playing with each child individually. It need only be as little as fifteen minutes a day for a pre-schooler or half an hour a week for an older child. If each child has a special playtime with each parent they will realize how unique and special they are and the relationship between you will thrive as well.
Playtime is unconditional love time.
If you don't know what to play or how to begin, ask your child. Let them lead you. Interactive play, not passively watching someone else entertain you. Co-operative play, not competitive play. In play where there are winners and losers, feelings often get hurt.