I went for a run this morning at our local middle school.<\/p>\n
There was a youth soccer game in progress on the field in the middle of the track and a couple of little boys were tussling on the sidelines. At first, I thought they were fighting, but as I got closer it became clear that what I had mistaken for cries of distress were actually squeals of delight. They couldn\u2019t have been much older than three, yet apparently they had just invented the funnest game in the history of funness. It went something like this:<\/p>\n
Step 1: Grab your friend in a tight bear hug.
\nStep 2: Wiggle around in a random and increasingly violent fashion, while maintaining your embrace and screaming at the top of your lungs.
\nStep 3: Lose your balance and tumble to the ground, laughing hysterically.
\nStep 4: Take the minimum amount of time necessary to catch your breath, then spring back to your feet.
\nStep 5: Repeat.<\/p>\n
I had to stop my run just to watch them. Seldom have I seen such exuberant, inextinguishable glee emanating from another human being \u2014 much less two. I can\u2019t recall any personal experience, at least not with my fading middle-aged memory, that has even come close. And when I look at my life right now, it feels like a Soviet-era documentary compared to the bliss-riot that was unfolding on that field right before my eyes.<\/p>\n
It led me to one undeniable conclusion: grown-ups are bad at play.<\/p>\n
What passes for play in adults is kind of sad. Not that there\u2019s anything wrong with book groups, or dinner parties, or fantasy football leagues. They all have their place. It\u2019s just that real play \u2014 the kind two little boys make up while they\u2019re not watching their older brothers play soccer, is so much more impressive.<\/p>\n
Let\u2019s consider the true genius of the \u201cHug-Wiggle-Plop\u201d game. First of all, it\u2019s entirely original. There\u2019s nothing like novelty to amp up the dopamine hit in any activity. Also, it\u2019s accessible to everyone. You don\u2019t have to buy an Xbox or a PlayStation. You don\u2019t have to pay a registration fee. You don\u2019t need private lessons, or a new set of expensive gear that you\u2019re going to outgrow in three months. All you need is a willing co-wiggler and a landing surface a little softer than concrete.<\/p>\n
Another advantage is that it doesn\u2019t have to be entered into your calendar with precisely predetermined start and end times. You just do it when you feel like it, and you stop when you run out of wiggle.<\/p>\n
So let\u2019s review: it\u2019s cheap, it\u2019s inclusive, it\u2019s social, it\u2019s creative, and it\u2019s spontaneous. And, oh yeah \u2014 it\u2019s really, really, really fun!<\/p>\n
I\u2019ve heard so many parents complain that kids don\u2019t seem to just play anymore. Well, who\u2019s bleeping fault do you think that is? Who\u2019s signing them up for day camps and summer classes and after-school programs? Who\u2019s planning out their play dates, and scheduling their activities down to the nearest quarter of an hour? Who\u2019s making kids\u2019 lives look more and more like grown-ups\u2019 lives, and kid activities look more and more like grown-up pastimes? Somehow, I don\u2019t think it\u2019s the kids.<\/p>\n
Maybe it\u2019s time we put play back into the hands of the real experts. As a matter of fact, maybe we should consider hiring them as consultants. For your next corporate retreat, why not bring in the groundbreaking design team behind \u201cHug-Wiggle-Plop?\u201d Can\u2019t you just imagine them working with Harold in sales, or Janice in accounting?<\/p>\n
\u201cOkay, can you explain the wiggle part again?\u201d
\n\u201cYou just wiggle \u2014 like this.\u201d
\n\u201cLike this?\u201d
\n\u201cYeah. But don\u2019t make that face.\u201d
\n\u201cWhat face?\u201d
\n\u201cThat face.\u201d
\n\u201cThis is the only face I know how to make.\u201d
\n\u201cOkay. Then just wiggle more.\u201d<\/p>\n
I predict Q3 earnings would skyrocket.<\/p>\n
On the other hand, I\u2019m not sure I want to adulterate kids\u2019 play with, you know, adults. Maybe the best thing would be to just leave them alone. Put them out in the sunshine, on a grassy field, and make believe you aren\u2019t watching them. But pay attention. They know things we forgot a long time ago, and if we give them the time and the freedom to do what they do best, they\u2019ll show us the way.<\/p>\n