Here's the story of Playful Parenting and Parenting by Connection in action.

My two year old, had really been having a hard time getting his hair wet in the bath with lots of crying and upset every time. I took time to listen to him as he cried about it but it didn't seem to shift it much. It was most unpleasant for both of us.

A few weeks ago he made up this great game that helped him work through the hair wetting thing (it was one of those, 'Why didn't I think of that?' moments).

He started going over to the back doormat and pretending it was a shower stall (I think). He wanted me to take the vertical blinds cord gadget, pretend it was a shower head, and "squirt him" all over with imaginary water. He would pretend he was a tiger or a cat or other animal getting a bath. I'd pretend to scrub him behind the ears and he would growl and I'd say, "Oh what a nice clean tiger (cat,...)." Sometimes he wanted me to be getting a bath and I would howl and scream about not wanting to get wet. I'd go back and forth between wanting a shower and then realizing I was going to get wet and being grossed out. He laughed and laughed at this.

We just generally played around with different roles and got lots of giggles going. He loved being in charge and doing things to me that I didn't want him to for a change. He played this game for a week or so, a bit each day, adding ideas, with me following his lead. I began to notice that real bathing was getting easier. I decided to take a few baths with him and really hammed it up when he poured water on my head, "Yuck!! I don't like water! Pleeeease don't get me wet this time!" He'd laugh and laugh as he poured water all over me.

Before long I was able to pour water directly over his head without him even flinching. Another example of play and connection helping to move something that seemed stuck.