Issue link: http://janet.uberflip.com/i/1537290
HOOK 49 There is a kind of magic in moments that ask nothing of us , no plan, no performance, no 5cking clock, just space to breathe, to wander, and to be. In these wide-open pauses, something quiet and essen5al unfolds: connec5on, presence, and the subtle art of living. When we live in the moment, even just for an instant, the deepest connec5ons and memories are made. This is where imagina5on sparks, where children rediscover their inner world, and parents re- member what it means to slow down. Having unstructured 5me gives curiosity room to bloom and allows rela5onships to deepen not through doing, but through being. It is o&en in the absence of structure that we find the richest parts of ourselves and each other. The other day, I found myself lying on the floor next to my son, watching sunlight flicker through the blinds as he played with a pencil. We weren't doing anything special, no home- work, no chores, no errands: just being. He cracked a joke that made no sense but made us laugh anyway. And for a brief moment, 5me so&ened. It opened like a deep breath a&er a long day, invi5ng us to sink into it. It reminded me of another 5me when we tried to record a birthday song for a family member. What began as a simple "Happy Birthday" unraveled into a full-blown giggle fest. We couldn't stay serious through the song, and the dog barked P arenting r t f A Why Kids (& Parents) Need Unstructured Time nonstop in the background. The kind of laughter that folds you over and leaves your eyes watering. The final recording was never sent, but the bloop- ers became the memory. The beauty of it wasn't in the result, but in the moment we shared. Now that summer has arrived, these moments stretch even wider with bare feet on sun-warmed grass, wandering walks with no des5na5on, pop- sicles dripping down hands, and lying in the ham- mock. These are the true memories of childhood that we embody—not the perfect photos or checkmarks on a list, but the spontaneous in-be- tween. The moments when life leaks in through the cracks and fills us with something 5meless. One of my favorite family memories came on the last night of a trip to Maine. It had been a long travel day, and we were deliriously 5red and sun- kissed in the best way. We were lying across the Text and Photography by dana daly