"Best and Worst" - The Game that Brought Me Closer to My Children

A few years ago, my family and I adopted a game into our bedtime ritual that has become invaluable to us. We call it Best and Worst. It is so simple in nature yet sometimes leads into very complex conversations.

Some nights we play the game all together in one bedroom. Other nights I play it individually with each child while cuddling them in their beds. I ask them "What was the best part of your day and what was the worst part of your day?" I do not know where I got the idea for the game or I would gladly give credit where credit is due. Sometimes their answers are funny, but more often than not, the answer leads into a discussion.

I used to bombard my daughters with questions when they came home from school. Who did you eat lunch with? Who did you play on the playground with? As all mothers are, I am very in tune my children's emotions. I can tell just by looking at their faces if something didn't go quite right during the day. Sometimes they would open up right away if something was wrong. But, sometimes they would just say everything was "good". I would always know better, but pressing them would only lead to a bad attitude on their part and frustration on my part.

Human beings can not be forced to share their emotions until they are ready. Children are no exception. As a mother, I found this to be something I needed to learn. I had just assumed that whenever my kids needed to share something they would immediately come running to me. Not so. Like all of us, when children are upset, puzzled by, or simply just affected by an event, they need time to chew on it awhile.

Since implementing this simple little game at bedtime, my husband and I have developed a much closer relationship with our daughters. Whether it is the relaxed atmosphere or the physical closeness of the family that brings about the willingness to share thoughts and emotions, I am not sure. I only know that it does.