Do you have kids? Or are you around your friend’s kids, or volunteering where kids are? You should be. And there’s no better time than around Christmas. 

It’s like how I feel about funerals. I believe you and I need to attend a funeral at least a couple times a year. Funerals remind us: life is short, so make the most of the time you have. 

Similarly, kids remind us: life is a gift and can’t be taken too seriously. 

I have three kids (5, 3, 1). They are a handful, in the most glorious sense. When I come home in the late afternoon or evening I am often exhausted with a bunch of things on my mind. The best version of me pushes the stress from my mind and enters fully into my kid’s joy—“Daddy’s home!” The lesser version of me looks for how to get to the couch as soon as possible. 

Because I know myself, I’ve created guiding principles for myself:

If I’m on the couch and my kids are on the floor, I get on the floor. 

Couches are for lounging. Floors are for playing. 

Couches are for zoning out. Floors are tuning in. 

Couches are hands-off. Floors are all in. 

I know, you might have a back problem, or a hard floor, or a more stressful life than me. But make sure you’re not making excuses for being a boring adult who’s forgotten how to play. 

Learn from kids. To learn from kids, and to become more childlike, we need to be with kids. On the floor. 

Especially at Christmas.