No TV Tuesday: How Hide-and-Seek Became Our Family's Most Treasured Memory
Hey mama friends! Pull up a chair (and maybe grab a tissue – fair warning, I got emotional writing this) 💕
You know those parenting moments where you accidentally stumble into pure gold? Well, let me tell you about "No TV Tuesday" – or as my now-teenage kids still call it, "The Best Thing Mom and Dad Ever Made Us Do."
The Eye-Roll Beginning
First, let me paint the scene: Picture me, exhausted after work, dreaming of face-planting into the couch while scrolling mindlessly through my phone. My husband, equally tired, giving me the "Do we really have to do this?" look. And our kids, dramatically flopping around like we'd just announced the end of civilization because – gasp – no screens after dinner on Tuesdays.
(Side note: Why do kids act like no TV is basically the same as no oxygen? 😅)
The Game-Changer (Literally)
But here's where it gets good. One Tuesday night, probably in a desperate attempt to prevent another round of "But mooooom, there's nothing to dooooo," we suggested hide-and-seek. Not just regular hide-and-seek – family style. Teams. Strategy. The works.
Rules were simple:
- Parents vs. Kids (because let's be honest, we needed the teammate support)
- No hiding in potentially dangerous spots (looking at you, dryer)
- No phones (yes, even for us parents!)
- Everything else? Fair game.
The Magic Begins
You guys. YOU GUYS. The magic that happened next? Priceless.
Picture my husband and me, grown adults with mortgages and responsibilities, giggling like teenagers while squished behind the shower curtain. Or both of us trying to fold ourselves into impossibly small spaces under beds (note to self: flexibility is not like riding a bike – you DO forget).
Meanwhile, our kids? They turned into tiny ninjas. Working together. Strategizing. Whispering battle plans that usually involved checking the bathroom first because "Mom always has to pee." (I feel seen and attacked simultaneously 😂)
The Unexpected Gifts
Here's what nobody tells you about playing hide-and-seek with your kids:
- You'll remember what it feels like to be a kid again
- Your kids will see you as actual fun humans (shocking, I know)
- You'll have deep conversations with your spouse while crammed into ridiculous hiding spots
- Your kids will bond in ways that no expensive activity could ever create
- You'll learn that your "mom knees" make WAY more noise than they used to
The Real Talk Moment
Was it always easy to stick to our no-screen Tuesday tradition? Nope. There were nights I wanted nothing more than to zone out to Netflix. Nights when work had been brutal, dinner was late, and the laundry was giving me the evil eye from the corner.
But you know what? Those are exactly the nights that turned into our best memories.
The Legacy
My kids are older now, and our Tuesday hide-and-seek games are fewer and farther between. But the other day, my teenager was talking to a friend and I overheard: "No, Tuesday nights were sacred in our house. We played hide-and-seek as a family and it was actually awesome."
Cue mom tears 😭
To All the Tired Mamas
So here's my challenge to you: Pick one night. Any night. Turn off the screens. Get down on the floor. Hide in ridiculous places. Giggle with your spouse. Listen to your kids plotting to find you. Create memories that no Netflix show could ever compete with.
Yes, you're tired. Yes, the couch is calling. Yes, there are a million other things you "should" be doing.
But trust me on this one – years from now, no one will remember that load of laundry you didn't fold. They'll remember the night Mom and Dad squeezed themselves into the cabinet under the sink and couldn't get out. (True story) 🤦♀️
P.S. To my kids, if you're reading this someday: Thank you for teaching me that sometimes the best parenting moments happen when we forget to be "grown-ups" for a while.
