Waiting Games

Family therapists Denise and Mark Weston know all about fun and games. The Massachusetts-based couple has written two books on the subject (PLAYFUL PARENTING and PLAYWISE) and make their living advising everybody from toy companies to amusement parks on how to have a good time. But when they find themselves with an unexpectedly long wait in traffic, or an extra half hour at the doctor's or dentist's office, they turn the job over to one of their two daughters, Emily, age six, or Arielle, age seven. "Our kids can't wait to be in charge," says Denise. "It is much more entertaining for them, and for us, if they're the ones who come up with the games or stories or however we choose to pass the time."

Left to their own devices, the girls have been quite inventive. Recently, waiting in line at the passport office, Emily informed her father that he was going to take a make-believe trip, but the destination was unknown. The family then played a game of 20 questions trying to guess where the traveler was headed.

The Westons see the girls' time in the family's entertainment hot seat as training. "They're learning how to make their own fun," says Denise. She notes that when her daughters were preschoolers, she packed "to-go" bags filled with toys they could play with at a moment's notice. Now the girls pack their own bags.

Denise says the responsibility has produced a big change in the girls. "They now appreciate what hard work it takes to get someone through a lull," she says, "so they're easier on us when we don't have the time to entertain them." Denise also wants her daughters to understand that not every moment will be entertaining. "Sometimes, you have to be able to just sit it out."

GAME IDEAS
PHOTOGRAPHIC MEMORIES
Have all players stare in one direction for 30 seconds. The object is to see and remember as many details as you can. Then, turn away and write down every detail you saw, from the cobwebs to the three-pronged electrical outlet (younger children can dictate). The one with the longest list wins.

TALKING STICK
Whoever holds the talking stick (a pencil, shoe, whatever) commands the floor. Pass the stick among players and create a story.

BUTTON GAME
Kids can use buttons for all sorts of games, including same and different. In this exercise, the kids take turns organizing buttons that share a single characteristic (color, shape, holes, texture). Other players guess what the buttons share or which ones don't belong in a group.