Tip 72: Have a play appointment with the animals

Whenever I have time these days (when I am not at office till late or not studying for a Japanese insurance exam or doing a free lance market entry research for a foreign company planning to enter the Japanese market), I make it utmost importance to have play tme with Haruka. The question of how much play time and daddy bonding time is enough is something I have not worked out yet. Maybe in the future, with more kids coming (God willing), a global economy that's slowing down or with lots turmoil and brakes off and on, and with an older body that can not work as hard as now, I can let my savings and investments cushion the more relaxed lifestyle I aim for. These days, you never can depend on government pension plans or your insurance plans or a minimal savings you think is sufficient, with sky rocketing inflation and increasing mismanagement of funds. Diversification is key. But, there surely needs to be time spent to play with your baby. To ensure its effective, I get the help of the animals to amplify my efforts. That's because babies are lovers of animals and they respond better with role play and playing simple toys creatively than merely pressing buttons on toys. Oh Haruka gets very excited when she gets to press buttons too, but that fascination with push buttons does not keep her mind involved long enough to encourage creative juices or put the smile on her face when she is playing alone.

I would first wake up Mr Wow wow dog from his slumber and ask him if she wants to play with Miss Meow meow cat. Then Mr Wow wow dog nods his head and goes to the table. There, Miss Meow meow cat was already waiting. "How do you do, Mr Wow wow dog? Did you have a good sleep last night?". "Thank you for asking. Yes I did. I am ready to play round and round in the garden with the teddy bear. Let's play together." Haruka would laugh and smile whenever I move the heads of these animals to nod or make strange noises when the animals are happy or sad. After a while, she learns to communicate the same way little by little. This also helps in keeping her focused on the topic and maybe extend her attention span. Maybe, it helps her to relate better and be kind to animals and people before her little brother or sister comes to play with her one day. I hope the next child will be as good natured as Haruka who would not make tantrums and have little trouble sleeping. Maybe a little of that is knowing she had a fun day with daddy.
(Photo shows Haruka at 7 months.)