Idea #1: When overcoming a rousing time of mean mommy, the first thing to do is to remind your children how to play good mommy.

When I was a little girl, I was happy to rock my babydoll, change her diaper, and take her for walks. The urgency of getting her a nice warm bottle was sufficient drama for me.

I loved playing mommy because my mom played with us. I remember her helping us tuck the babies in just so, and setting up our little table with cloth napkins and plastic plates.

A naturally domestic little girl will initiate this play on her own, but all the others need some coaching and camaraderie.

Maybe in the olden days little girls naturally played mommy, while their own mommy worked hard to maintain the homestead, but I’m convinced that today’s little girls really do need us to play with them regularly… Especially to establish their ability to play sweetly and tenderly.

If your child has a natural interest “outside” of traditional motherhood, show her how to love and care for baby-dolls in that context.

For example, Vivienne is a nurse. In order for anything to be interesting to her, there needs to be a blood transfusion, an oxygen mask, or a heart monitor at least. So, we’ve been playing a lot of hospital, where sometimes she is the nurse, and other times she is the mother who must work with the medical staff to secure the best care for her child.

I find that when I play with the girls, ideas don’t get carried away in the wrong direction. Instead, we work together to brainstorm solutions to problems, and I pull from realistic scenarios for a wide variety of plots to navigate.

Of course, my girls always love a little drama. More on that tomorrow…