What have we become when we need a book to tell us that it is OK to wrestle with our children? What has happened that we need a book to tell us that physical touch of a playful nature is not only good for our children but also important and necessary? I loved this book. In a world where our children are "overscheduled, overprotected, and underadventured" (p. 13) this book is a timely reminder that there is a lot of wonderful benefits for our children when we roughhouse and play with them.
Their bold claim is that "play–especially active physical play, like roughhousing –makes kids smart, emotionally intelligent, lovable and likable, ethical, physically fit, and joyful" (p. 13). This doesn't seem to be all that much of a bold claim to me but I can see how in today's world it could be like Galileo claiming that the world was not actually flat. I have girls. They have loved to wrestle and play their entire life. Everyone of them. This book has a long list of ideas on how you can roughhouse with your children if you are short of ideas, didn't grow up in a family where it happened or just want to look at new ideas.
I imagine there are some who will hate this book because it "increases violence." The authors actually take this idea on directly around the 100 page mark of the book. If you have children and you want to roughhouse with them, this book is for you. If you are already playing with your children and have the wonderful opportunity of having people in your life who give you grief about it, buy this book. Maybe the authors state your case better than you can. As a family therapist, and proponent of playing with our children, I cannot recommend this book highly enough.
**Do you have a book that you would like me to review related to Counseling, mental health, relationships or families? If so, leave a comment or contact me on the contact page. Don't forget you can also subscribe via email by filling out the subscribe button above. **