Being Responsible for Our Own Goals
By Esther Zoza
HAVANA TIMES – I received a pleasant visit from two friends this weekend, with all of the balcony doors wide open. After elbow bumping each other and keeping a safe distance, we caught up, without taking our masks off.
It’s nice to share things with friends. That is when your friends are those people who like the same things as you, have common interests and one or two different points of view. Especially when being friends doesn’t stop us from disagreeing.
Once we had talked about everything to death, my friend Ofelia took out a game of Chinese checkers out of her magic backpack. I’m not exaggerating when I say I almost jumped up in joy. Chinese checkers were a big part of my youth and I had some great and unforgettable moments playing it with my friends at the time.
We had a fun afternoon. The game helped me to remember strategies that I had thought I’d forgotten, but it also helped to fill the atmosphere with positive vibes and vitality.
After my friends left, I was so focused and motivated, that I couldn’t stop thinking about all of the free time our children have now.
Organizing our children’s time, making their time at home pleasant for them and the rest of the family, is key right now during these times of COVID-19. This is why it’s necessary that parents reexamine board games as something that can feed creativity and imagination, where children promote their social skills, their ability to work as a team and the importance of following rules.
We should never forget that playing and having fun – whether it’s Chinese checkers, Ludo, Dominos or a jigsaw puzzle – stimulate our concentration among other things, and if played as a family, they can strengthen family bonds.
During these times marked by long periods of time spent at home, board games are the best form of therapy to take care of our children’s mental health. Our objective should be to keep them at home safe from COVID-19, and to fill our homes with their laughter and games.