Parentotheca’s Newsletter
Learn. Parent. Grow.
Issue #5 – September 2025
👋 Hello Friends
September feels like the boardroom of family life: new schedules, after-school clubs, logistics spreadsheets running in our heads 24/7. If you’re anything like me, you might be feeling like the overworked CEO of your household – highly effective, but a little… dull.
I’ll be honest: I caught myself thinking the other day, “I’m getting boring. My kids probably think I’m no fun at all.” And that hit me harder than the endless snack prep. Because none of us want to be the “boring parent.”
Here’s the truth: parenting without any fun gets heavy fast. The cure? A playful parenting mindset. No, I don’t suggest you need to be a clown 24/7. But a bit of giggles here and there will keep connection alive when everything else feels like logistics.
This month, let’s talk about how sprinkling in some silliness – even in stressful moments – can lighten the load, deepen connection, and remind our kids (and ourselves) that family life is more than routines and deadlines.
Here’s what’s inside:
🧠🔍 Monthly Insight: The Antidote to Parental Burnout? Playfulness
📚 From the Library: Playful Parenting and the Power of Silliness
🛠️ Parentotheca’s Toolbox: “Special Time” for Instant Connection
✨ P.S. If this season feels especially heavy and you’d like more personalised support, I have one coaching spot opening next month. If you’d like to explore whether it’s a fit, hit reply and let’s connect (and get 50% off your first coaching session – details below).
✨ If you’re not already following me on Instagram or Facebook, please come say hi – I’d love to connect with you there!
Let’s dive in.
🔍 Monthly Insight: Playfulness Is The Antidote to Parental Burnout
“Parenting is hard work, and being unhappy makes it harder.”
(c) Laurence J. Cohen. Playful Parenting
Here’s the paradox of modern parenting: the more serious we get about doing it “right,” the less joy we feel doing it at all.
We’re constantly solving problems – packing lunches, enforcing bedtimes, teaching life lessons. Important work, yes. But if seriousness is all we bring to the table, the relationship starts to feel like a business transaction.
The solution? Invite some playfulness in your life. It’s what turns eye-rolls into laughter, battles into connection, and ordinary moments into memories.
So, what does this look like in real life? Small, playful pivots:
- Turn the morning rush into a race or a silly song.
- Outsource dinner to the kids – yes, cereal counts.
- Roughhouse for ten minutes instead of scrolling Instagram.
- Add silliness where there would normally be stress.
The point isn’t to force constant entertainment. It’s to sprinkle just enough play to remind everyone that family life is more than logistics and chores – it’s love, lived out loud.
If you need a couple of ideas – here I’m sharing our favourite roughhousing games for instant fun and connection.
📚 From the Library: Playfulness Is Your Superpower
The other day, walking home with my son, I could feel a meltdown brewing. Hungry, tired, overwhelmed – he plopped down on the sidewalk, whining and ready to battle me every step of the way.
I had two options:
- The efficient CEO response: “Come on, we’ll be late to swimming! Get up, let’s go!”
- The playful pivot: “Oh no! Your battery is almost at zero. Quick – let’s charge your solar panels! Two steps into the sun… okay, charging… now let’s press the turbo button!”
Guess which one worked? He giggled, let me press his “turbo button” at his belly, and sprinted home at top speed.
Big idea: You don’t need the perfect script for tough moments – you need playfulness. It’s one of the best parenting tools we have: it nourishes connection, eases tension, and turns struggles into cooperation.
That’s the heartbeat of Lawrence Cohen’s book Playful Parenting. It’s one of the most transformative parenting books I’ve read, and I return to it often. Cannot recommend this book enough!
🛠️ Parentotheca’s Toolbox: Special Time
If playfulness is the mindset, Special Time is the practice.
It’s simple: set aside 15 minutes of one-on-one, distraction-free time with each of your kids. They choose the activity, you bring your full presence (and playfulness). That’s it.
What happens in those 15 minutes is magic. Your child feels seen, valued, and deeply connected. The result? Less power struggle, more cooperation. Less disconnection, more joy.
Tips to make it work:
- Set a timer (15 minutes feels short, but consistency matters more than length).
- Follow your child’s lead – even if the activity feels silly to you.
- Use your turn to initiate playful games that build connection (roughhousing, role-play, silly “monster” chases).
- End when the timer buzzes. The structure makes it repeatable.
And if you need more ideas, here is a couple of articles that can help:
👉 25 Fun and Engaging Activities to Make Special Time with Your Child Truly Special
👉 Transform Your Relationship With Your Children Forever With This Simple Parenting Hack
Challenge for you this month: Commit to at least one round of Special Time per week with each child. Put it in your calendar like a meeting that can’t be skipped. (Because honestly, it’s the most important meeting you’ll have.)
🆕 What’s New on Parentotheca
Here’s what dropped this month:
✅ New Book Summary:
- Smart But Scattered by Peg Dawson and Richard Guare
✅ New Article:
🧭 Coach’s Corner: I’m Here to Help
Parenting is the most meaningful – and the most demanding – role you’ll ever take on. But you don’t have to do it alone.
Case Study: When I first met Anna (name changed), she said, “Every day feels like a fight. Mornings are chaos, homework ends in tears, and by bedtime I just feel like a terrible mum.”
Together, we started small: a few mindset shifts, a simple routine tweak, and one new connection ritual with her son. Within weeks, she noticed less pushback, calmer mornings, and even laughter creeping back into their evenings.
Her words after a month of coaching? “I don’t dread the after-school rush anymore. My son and I are actually enjoying each other again.”
That’s the power of coaching: moving from daily battles to daily connection.
💡 Want parenting to feel calmer and more connected? I have limited coaching spots available – reply to this email for details (newsletter readers get 50% off their first session).
Not sure if coaching is right for you? That’s why I offer a free discovery call – no pressure, just a conversation.
Let’s make this the turning point.
Thank you for being part of this journey.
Parenting is hard. But don’t wish it was easier, wish you were better.
Talk soon,
Irina
