Why “Everybody Plays”?

This week I’m flying to San Diego to link arms with our friends Infantino Toys, Changing the Face of Beauty, Matilda Jane Clothing, Amanda Booth and Kelle Hampton to celebrate 35 families who wrote about their parenting journeys in response to the 2018 Everybody Plays competition.

Why did we choose to be a part of this event?

You know us – we’re all about joy.

How does this storytelling event connect to joy?

To illustrate, I’d like to share part of my parenting journey. As a young mother I had postpartum depression, which went undiagnosed for months because I was too scared to speak up.  At the time, I didn’t feel safe sharing my fear and sadness because I thought it would take away from the incredible privilege and happiness of having a child. I felt like I had no right to be depressed and ruin the myth of the bliss of motherhood.

But then, I made a friend who had a baby the same age as mine, and one day she broke down and told me a deep worry she had about her child. After I’d comforted her, I felt safe enough to tell her about my postpartum depression.  Sharing our stories with one another created a supportive bond of acceptance and compassion for our human experience. That’s where the joy comes in. Knowing we all have a story with unique twists and turns and that if there’s a space to share these stories and if we’re brave enough to be vulnerable with the not so glossy parts of our journey, it can connect us.

Joy is inclusion, joy is acknowledging what is and being able to share what’s going on, joy is being real. Joy is closeness and authenticity, connectedness and community building. Joy is sharing the human experience.

I’m always looking to create a platform to spark joy and the Everybody Plays event is an opportunity to do this. We want to hold an open and accepting space for these 35 families and we want to hold the space for you, our Solemates.   We want to perpetuate the joy of sharing our stories and to expand our minds and hearts by seeing the beauty in our sameness and our difference. So share your story, we’re listening!

Love,

Mitzi


2 comments


  • Nicole Elwess

    ❤ Has the Everybody Plays stories ended for applying?


  • Jane

    I asked my mom this question: Was raising me different from raising my little sister? She said she thought it would be the same with my sister and even expected her to like to read like me. My mom used to shove things in my face to open me up to things. She had a harder time with my sister because the more she did that, the more she resisted and it would backfire. She finally decided to let her be and let me do some of the leading. Guess that’s what big sisters are for!


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