How to be happy: 'Playing games as a family'

The flower in the top image is a 'strawberry'.
Its flower language is 'a happy family'.

It is a plant that bears sweet fruit
after blooming with small white flowers.

Even though each one is small,
the way they grow side-by-side
has a warmth that feels somewhat like a family.

Even when we spend time together as a family,
everyone is looking at a different screen.

Before I knew it,
days like that had increased.

Video games,
YouTube,
web surfing,
note.

They are all fun,
and there is nothing wrong with them.

But,
even though we are in the same room,
there are times when it feels a little distant.

In the midst of that,
we played board games as a family for the first time in a while.

The Game of Life,
Geister,
the Minecraft board game.

Rolling the dice,
laughing,
feeling frustrated,
suspecting each other of cheating.

'Right now, we are all doing the same thing.'

That feeling
was very happy.

Among them,
what was especially good
was the Minecraft board game.

Above all,
it allows for cooperative play.

Thinking together as a family,
'What should we do next?'
'A Creeper came!'
The time we spent moving forward while saying things like that
was very fun.

For my son who is not yet in school,
The Game of Life, which involves rankings and difficult calculations,
was not very enjoyable.

Of course,
it is important to know about winning and losing.

I think learning to feel frustration
is also necessary for growth.

But,
when he is about to lose,
he wants to quit halfway through.

Rather than that,
the Minecraft board game where 'everyone aims to clear it together'
suited my son better right now.

Board games are
mysterious.

Whether you win or lose,
conversation is born.

You look at the other person's expressions.

You wait for your turn.

You think about the other person's feelings.

Even though you are just playing,
I feel like I am properly facing people.

I learned recently that
there is also a term called
'analog game therapy'.

While playing,
you cultivate communication,
thinking skills,
and emotional control.

I think it has that much power
to naturally connect people to people.

It has become a convenient era.
Even alone,
there are many things
that you can fully enjoy.

But,
the happiness of sharing the same time with someone
and laughing at the same things
is special after all.

More than the outcome of the game,
the 'time spent playing together'
becomes a family memory.

The strawberry's flower language is a happy family.
I thought that
it is not a special event,
but the accumulation of these kinds of small moments.

A book that influenced me in writing this article

'The Power of Play' Author: Koji Onishi Editor: Shoko Omura

Play is
not just something that consumes time,
but something that connects people
and nurtures the heart.

It was a book that taught me that perspective.

It made me think again
about the importance of time spent laughing together,
not just about winning or losing.
Please check it out.

I have also summarized other 'ways to be happy' flowers
at the link below.
Please take as much as you need🍀

Thank you for reading until the end.
I hope to see you in another article.
🍀May you be happy🍀