Do you long for more "me time" in your busy life? Of course you do! What single parent doesn't, right? Well, here's a paradox that should be of interest to you: The more you play with your kids, the more they are able to play on their own.

And that one skill - being able to initiate and sustain self-directed play - is going to free up pockets of time - ten minutes here, twenty minutes there - to allow you to put in a quick load of laundry, pay a few bills, or even - gasp! - sit with your feet up and do nothing for a few blessed minutes.

So give it a try. Set aside everything else and concentrate on doing something with your child. It can be as simple as spending ten minutes doing puzzles together, building Legos, or dancing to your child's favorite music. Then, let your child know that you're going to move on to another task you need to attend to, and encourage him or her to play independently for a little while.

To ensure the greatest success, be intentional about building these pockets of one-on-one play time into your daily routine, and complement your child on his or her creativity and imagination.

Share Your Thoughts: Try it for yourself and write back to tell us about your experiences. Does playing with your child make him or her more likely to play independently? What do you notice about your child's behavior following play time, as opposed to following TV time? Share a comment below. And if you're a blogger, write your own post on the topic of "Kids and Play" and submit it to the All About Parenting Blog Carnival before April 21, 2008.

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