If there’s one good thing that the COVID-19 pandemic brought, it’s to give us unlimited time with our children. You may not agree with me but this is one of our ways of dealing with the pandemic.

With work from home arrangement being the norm these days, that means that we can be with our kids in an instant whenever they need us. No more time wasted preparing for work and commuting to and from the office.

As such, we took advantage of the opportunity to give our kids unlimited playtime because we can take them out to play in the front yard in the morning and in the afternoon. That’s not something that we can do except on weekends.

It’s also a good thing that we live in a compound so there is enough space to run around and explore. Moreover, there are also other kids in the house who can play with our two children.

The beauty about children is they never get tired of routines. Their curiosity is endless; it’s like there’s always something new around them. They never run out of leaves to pluck, stones to pick, twigs to collect, dirt to dig, and so forth. Of course, they also have conventional toys like cars, action figures, blocks, and many more but what they do look forward to is their unlimited playtime outside.

I’ve also mentioned in a previous post that we turned to play therapy for our first son when we found it hard to implement his occupational therapy home program. We figured that since we could not force him to do his activities, we might as well find an alternative that he will enjoy which is playtime.

As for our second son, we were just happy to be with him as he grew. I mean, we literally watched him and his older brother grow before our very eyes. It’s just that with our second son, we saw him grow from a newborn to a toddler because he was just a little over three months old when the COVID-19 pandemic hit.

It’s just a pity that we couldn’t take them outside yet. I remember our eldest son enjoying his time whenever we took him to the mall. He loved escalators and seeing the many things around him. The last time that we took him to the mall, we went to an indoor playground. He enjoyed his time playing in the different stations that we planned on taking him again the following week. Problem is, Metro Manila was already on lockdown in the week that followed.

Anyway, we still go through the same routine everyday. I got used to it, too. We’d be outside in the morning, then feed the kids, and then give them a bath. Their yaya (nanny) will take them upstairs to play. I’d then do my daily tasks. By mid-afternoon, they’d be outside again running endlessly, like it’s their first time to go outdoors.

Having followed this routine for about two years now, I’m sure I’d miss it terribly when we finally report to the office again or when we begin renting again. Nevertheless, that’s an inevitable situation. Until then, we’ll just continue to enjoy our unlimited playtime.

To end this post, let me just tell an amusing story during one of our afternoon play sessions. Our second son randomly plucked a clump of flowers, went up to me, said “Dada,” and handed me the flowers.

He went back to the bush, picked another bunch of flowers, approached his mom, said “Mimi,” and handed the flowers to his Mommy. Kids can be rascals one moment and then become extra sweet in a snap. Oh well, that’s part of the joys of parenthood.

How about you, what are you grateful for today? Feel free to share them in the comment section below.

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If you want to read the last three editions of Grateful Dad, here they are:

• Grateful Dad #8: Back To School
• Grateful Dad #7: Grab Delivery
• Grateful Dad #6: Cameras and Photography

For the complete series, please click here.