Untitled - September 23, 2026
00:00:00 Speaker: I have always heard that kids learn best through play, and we have the experts not only as a mom, but as someone who loves to watch kids play. Hey, it's Denise and you are listening to the Working Moms Redefined podcast. We are glad you're here. If you are new, thank you for joining us. And if you are an old veteran, because it's been a while, two years now that we've been doing this. Thank you. Thank you for being here. We get to talk with Amy Peters today. She is with the Quincy Children's Museum, and I have gotten to cross paths with Amy for several years now. And when I tell you that there could not be a better person for you to trust, for your children to go be in the hands of, it's Amy. So I can't wait to talk today about the importance of interactive play, what it looks like with technology. We'll get into a little bit, um, and all of what is going on at the Quincy Children's Museum. Amy, welcome. Hey, thanks for having me. My pleasure. Amy is a mom of five, and before we got started, you were saying, some days I'm the worst mom, and sometimes I'm the best mom. And I think all moms and dads can relate to that fully, because there are some days where I'm like, I look back and I say, I killed it, and other days I'm like, I did not show up as my best mom. Yeah. Sometimes it's like even within the same ten minutes. So that is that full transparency. Okay, before we get started about the importance of play and museums and special places for families, I want to know what it's like to have kids that span a large age group. You have five. You said from thirteen down to five. You have to adapt your parenting on the daily, let alone with each child. Yeah, for sure. And I think, um, you know, obviously it's something we learn as we go. Um, our kids are navigating different seasons, different schools, different, you know, Challenges. Um, so it's not easy, but um, nothing is nothing's easy. Um, but I think it's just something that like, I have to really take the time to be intentional with each of my kids. Um, and that looks different for each of them. Um, sometimes, you know, my bigs will say, well, you, you went and did this with the littles and I'm like, yeah. And when you were little, I got to do that with you. Or, you know, with my oldest two, it's like, yeah, there was a time that I had a four year old and a two year old and we got to pick up and go do whatever. Versus when my littles were two and four, they were getting drug around to the big stuff. So, um, you know, it's, it's a balancing, um, thing that we all do. Um, but I really do just try to be intentional with each of them and hope that they see that. What a good mom. Oh, amazing. Try tell me and describe to me for those who might not know a little bit about what you do with the Quincy Children's Museum, how this came about. What year are we on? Give all of the details. Yeah. Um, so my background is in social work. Um, I've worked in a couple of different community, um, kind of organizations in various roles. Um, and then ultimately was working in the schools. Um, when I really felt this kind of calling on my heart and, um, you know, I took some time to be a stay at home mom. I think that lasted about a week. Um, before I was like, uh, I was not made for this, um, twenty four over seven. I love my children dearly. Um, I, I just needed something different. Um, and so that's when the children's museum was born. Um, we had just spent the day at the magic House down in Saint Louis. Um, at the time, my husband and myself and our three kids. Um, and I said, you know, why does Quincy not have this? We have been saying this for years. Um, I'm like, you know what? Like, I'm just gonna, I'm just gonna make a little logo on my phone. Make a website, put a survey out there on SurveyMonkey and like, look legit, but I'm gonna like not put my name to it because like, maybe it's a bad idea. You know, we tell ourselves things like that all the time. So put this, publish this survey on the Quincy Children's Museum Facebook page that I made. Um, and within a week, six hundred people took it and they were like, yes, Quincy's getting a children's museum. Um, there was a couple people that said like, no, I don't want, I don't want that. We need to fix the potholes. Like you're, and when you're doing anything with the name of Quincy tied to it, um, it seems like there's always gotta be one or two. Um, and so that to me was like enough fuel for like, hey, we might actually be on to something. Um, you know, this is, this is cool. So this was back in twenty nineteen. Um, um, I did some of my own research and found that there was this association of children's museums that meets every year. Um, kind of brings together all these professionals. So I told my husband, we're going to Denver. Um, we went to one of the coolest children's museums, um, did this conference and just came back with like, okay, here's my plan. Here's what we're going to do next summer. We're going to do this, this, and this, and we need a spot. And, you know, here's the plan. As we all know, the best plans, um, kind of get thrown out the window when a global pandemic hits and it's like, uh, nobody's going to children's museums. In fact, you're not leaving your house. Um, and so we pivoted a little bit and we took that time to really be strategic as an organization, um, and come up with some plans and build the people around this organization. And, you know, from there, we've grown, um, obviously we started going out in the community the next year and went from serving a thousand kids in one summer to like ten thousand kids to now we've had seventy thousand visitors at our current location and we're working on our capital campaign for this ten million dollars facility. Um, kind of in the heart of downtown Quincy. And so it's just, you know, it's been a marathon. Um, it's has not happened overnight. There has been a lot of long days, a lot of long, you know, processes and fundraising and all that stuff. But, um, one thing early on that I really wanted to be committed to was like, we're not waiting. Our kids are not getting any younger. And you know, the kids in our community, like there's so many families that can't just pick up and go down to the magic house. And so, um, we really, you know, we showed up and I loaded my suburban and drove around to parks and picnics and programs. And, um, from there, we wound up with a truck and a trailer to be able to really make this happen. And, um, so many other people along the way have supported like, this isn't a me thing. I'm just, you know, doing, like I said, what I feel like I've been called to do and, um, pieces just have fallen into place. So, um, we've made some mistakes. We've, we've learned a lesson or two, but I'd like to thank, like we're working out all the kinks now. So when we're in that permanent site, you know, I'm sure mistakes will still happen. Um, we're not going to be perfect, but, you know, we know how to, we know how our membership binder works. We have staff, we have, um, people who know they can count on us to bring their kids to come and play and learn. So that's a short version. Your passion oozes out of you and in the most willful way, because you genuinely have the best intent of these children at the forefront of your mind. And that is one thing that I always remember after our first meeting is I remember asking you something along the lines of like, why are you doing this for all of us? And you, you always said, this is what I've been called to do. Selfless, selfless servant behavior is something that is hard to teach. And yet you model it often when we think about the museum because like you said, you've transitioned, right? You still go to these festivals and these locations on the spot. We, we often ask for you to come to things that we are a part of because it is such a draw for kids. It's such a special place. And so what makes interactive play so important for children, especially in those younger years? Um, there's, I could write, I could talk for three hours about this, but I think kind of what really, um, what it all boils down to is it really like transcends like everything. It doesn't matter what age you are, what color, how much money you have, anything like that, like at the root of it, you know, you see, for, for us, like our big blue blocks and like it's inviting and it's something like, oh, let's build this or let's, let's do this together. And, um, you know, for me, it's not, you know, play is, um, it's an invitation to connect with one another. Um, that's low pressure. It's um, you know, come as you are and, you know, come with whatever ideas you might have. Um, but just have fun. Um, and I think that, you know, at the root of it sometimes, you know, kids, I have one that like, oh, I don't want to go to school. I don't feel good. And it's like, you know, like that's important. You have to go to school. Um, but like we all learn so differently. And so some kids learning through play is like the best for them. Um, you know, they're not, they're getting him getting my own kid to see like, look, this is important, you know, it's learning how to interact with your peers and, um, those kind of things. I think it just really just all boils down to that connection piece. Um, and you know, for when you come into the museum, you know, there's some, some caregivers are super engaged on the floor with their kids. Some caregivers are sitting back, you know, maybe checking their email, whatever. We don't judge. Um, maybe they've been at home with that kid all day entertaining them all morning, and it's time for that kid to go socialize and play with some of their peers. Um, but it's just to me, it's universal. You know, um, give kids blocks or paint or whatever. Even the grumpiest kid can play. I love that and I have been both parents. I have been the one that is playing with them and the one that's like, hey, I'm going to do this. I'm going to check my email for a second, go meet people. And that concept of, I always watch love watching how kids interact, right? Because sometimes adults have a hard time saying hello to one another, like looking people in the eye, whereas we push kids into a museum and say, hey, go make friends, go play with people. And sometimes I'm like, oh, I need to remind myself to never stop doing that, because that's a concept that I think sometimes, whether you know, it's Covid or phones or something has been taken away. And I just love how at a very young age, the museum is a great place to do that. Yeah, it's a good little melting pot. Yeah. Stir it on up. Sometimes I think from time to time that I don't play nearly as much art as I want to or as, dare I say, should with kids. You gave some really great examples. Blocks, paint. What would you suggest to parents if you're thinking, okay, you've had a really long day at work. We know that I'm not loving getting down on the floor and playing Barbies. Like that's not my favorite thing, but I want to connect with my kids through playing in some other ways. What suggestions might you have? Um, my, I mean, obviously I think you're right. Not everybody loves to do that. I hear that a lot. Like I just can't get into that role play or the imaginative play. You know, maybe give your child the opportunity to like, do a puppet show behind the couch and you just really sit there on the, you know, sit there across from them and put the phone away and engage with them for a little bit, you know, laugh at their jokes, even if they're terrible. Um, you know, maybe help them make a little sock puppet or something or look around your house and figure out what you could use to put on this production. Um, my family, we like because there's so many ages. Sometimes it's like, I can't, I can't play with this one and this one too. Like it just doesn't all necessarily get together. So we found some like board games. Um, my kids love the game piles. Um, and sometimes we'll like, you know, team up and, you know, I know not everybody loves board games, but my husband hates them. I'm like, just come play this game with the kids. Like it's important. Um, it's fun. Uh, if you let it be fun. Um, and also like, just give them five, ten minutes and that can really fill a kid's cup. Um, and so, you know, just my thought is, you know, there there's you don't have to love it. It's not about like, it's not, it's not about you. It's not about you as the adult. Um, it's important for your kiddos. Um, and, um, again, I'll say that like, this is my opinion. I, there's probably science behind it, but like, you know, go to the park and go to the playground and, um, you know, push your kids on the swings or play I spy something like that. Um, think back to what you played when you were a kid. Um, I mean, me and my brothers played flashlight tag and capture the flag and all those kind of things. So like, have you played that with your kids before? Um, if you haven't like maybe try. Um, so keep it simple. Don't overthink it. Um, but there are so many resources. Um, you know, we have tons of things available, but there's other, you know, there's so many local libraries around our area. Um, and across the country, probably across the world, um, that have toys or like might allow you to check out things, um, to, to play or, you know, talk to a friend and say, hey, my kids are getting really bored with what we have at home. Do you want to trade? Do you want to trade totes for a week? Um, and then it's like Christmas, you know? Um, and I don't know if your house is like mine, but like my kids get so much stuff under the tree and like, after a couple weeks, it's like, I'm bored. I have nothing to play with. I have nothing to do. So, you know, maybe you put things away and then rotate them back out. Just some of my ideas. Love it. That's exactly why we asked. You brought up some good points. I love the thought. Well, first of all, I want you to I want to give you credit. Like you, if it wasn't you speaking, someone could really not take care of people's parents feelings when they talk about this. You have a very kind and respectful way of saying like, hey, this is your kid's childhood. Let's make it really wonderful. Rather than saying like, you need to do this, this and this, we have to really look in the mirror and say like, this isn't about us. And you do it in a really kind and respectful way to say, yeah, you know, you're right. Now also, I love how you say even ten to fifteen minutes is quote enough? Because I think for me personally, sometimes it's like as I reflect back on my day, did I do enough as a mom? If you can check that box and say ten to fifteen minutes of play, well done. And I think for me, sometimes it's labeling things as play that I might not think of play. Like if they help me cook, they're playing. That is us playing. And I just kind of need to relabel things sometimes. So lots of great suggestions. The tub swap is brilliant. It's different when it's somebody, someone else than from downstairs, you know? Mhm. I love that you see kids from all walks of life, all ages. As an observer, what are you noticing? That kids. And you can break them down by age if you are able. Need the most right now from us as parents. Um, I mean, I think from what I see, I was working in the museum yesterday at the front desk. Um, and I saw we had like we hit capacity in the morning, which was insane, which is awesome. Um, but like just a little bit of attention goes a long way. Um, you know, I think they need us. Um, and I fail all the time at like giving my kids the attention that they need. Sometimes my phone is in front of my face a little too long. Um, sometimes, you know, I don't notice. I've got five. I don't notice that this one's doing what they're supposed to. What you know, what they're trying to show me while they. And there's fighting and there's bickering. Um, but I think just that attention that time, um, I'll just go back to that, that, you know, being intentional with your time, um, with your kids or your grandchildren or nieces or nephews, like what can you do to make them feel special. And, um, you know, so that twenty, thirty years from now they're not sitting in therapy talking about. Yeah, my mom just played block blast all day or, you know, my mom was really good at that. Um, but seriously. Yeah. Well, and I mean, it's called working moms, you know, like for a lot of us, maybe your listeners or the people that are watching this, maybe they are a working mom and they're trying to balance that whole like demands of work and the demands of the household. Um, and that, you know, there's things that like the, I got my kids, one of those calendars that they can like click that they did their chores. And my eleven year old's like, well, how come you don't have any chores? And I'm like, dude, if only you realized like, mommy would have you all beat in stars. If I put on here every single thing that I did, um, to make this household and, you know, or that daddy did, you know, that kind of thing. Um, and so yeah, I don't even remember what the question was, but just it's a good time. I love that point. And to teach them that at a younger age is so important to us. I had read a statistic and it kind of like it makes sense, but it's also kind of scary that ninety to ninety five percent of brain development actually happens before age five. And so my kids are seven and nine and I'm thinking, well, you know, to be funny, I'm thinking, oh, I messed him up already. We're good to go, right? Yeah. That's not necessarily the case. And yet, knowing that if someone is listening that has kids under the age of five, it can be both amazing and overwhelming for sure to feel the pressure of like, Holy cow, that's a lot of responsibility. It was a lot of responsibility before you heard that statistic anyway. But what do you want parents to know about supporting development before age five? And then even, like you said, for your eleven year old. Yeah. Well, um, I, I will say that like that statistic can be kind of scary. And then at the same time, you're like, wait a second, like my ten year old is still learning and growing. So I think you just really have to look at it as like when this baby is first born, they cannot do anything. They, they can cry, they can potty, they can, but like, they can't do anything. And then think about that. In contrast with your five year old, who is could be talking and walking and running and playing and throwing a fit and making themselves a bowl of cereal, you know, just that really. Like for me, sometimes I'm like, okay, yeah, that is a lot of brain development to go from nothing to, oh, they're actually like a human being, you know, um, that's quite a bit, um, from there, from there, you know, after you hit that five year old, your brain is still developing. You're obviously still learning, you know, a five year old is not going to know calculus and those kind of things, but you're getting those early skills of like listening and, you know, reasoning and all of those kind of concepts that when your kids are little, like that's when to teach them. Um, you know, you can't just leave a kid in a room for five years and then knock on the door and open the door and expect for this respectful little human to come out. Um, but I have friends who have adopted kiddos who are older and they're like, well, too late. Like I missed out on those first few years. Like what? It's not, it's not that, um, it's not that it's like a make or break deal breaker. Um, it just shows how important those five years are. And I think that my friends, um, would share that, you know, they can tell those first five years were critical. Um, and they're important and it's a lot harder to, um, you know, to continue to mold those things. Um, as those kids, there's just more challenge, not necessarily challenges. That's not the right word, but, um, you know, more, I don't know, dynamics. Yeah, yeah. Just just it can be, it can be different. You know, um, as with anyone, you know, you meet your, your spouse when you're in most cases, like maybe when you're twenty, think about like, well, I didn't spend the first twenty years raising this man, but, um, we're going to do a few things differently or whatever. I, I kind of joke sometimes, like with my mother in law, even like, well, you raised him for the first twenty years. Like I'm not responsible for that. We're looking at. Right? Yeah, I love it. I love it. Yeah. We so socialization is a large part of the museum and play and just helping kids learn and develop as well. This past summer, I, I think back and I'm almost like my husband asked at the beginning of the summer, when I told him, I said, hey, you know, our daycare days are going to look a little different this year. We have three days that are covered and we have two that are not. I always tried to play on Friday. I always tried to play. I always tried to set Fridays as the play day, so I didn't take any in-person appointments. And then I was like, first day. What if I had them work with me? Like, what if I had them come to meetings? And Jeremy. I'll never forget it. He looked at me and he said, are you sure you want to try this? Because I'm like, I don't know. And now that I can look back and say, we did it, we freaking did it. And there were times where I had to literally look at one of the two children who is a boy and say, buddy, look him in the eyes, right? Like shake their hand, like all of these things that you and I know as something that we don't even think twice about, we do it. Sure. But that's how we teach these youngsters about socializing. And how does healthy social development actually look for young kids? Because I know that not everybody can do this and take their kids to work one day a week in the summer. That's not feasible for everyone. So how do you teach that to young kids? And dare I say, some adults? Yeah. Oh, I, I, you know, I, again, I, I don't have a perfect answer, but I think that unless you take your kids to do those kind of things, they're not going to have that opportunity. You know, um, one of my good friends, they, um, we, we were talking mom to mom and she's like, yeah, we just took our kids to Kohl's hearth room. And I'm like, never would I take my child to one of the nicest restaurants in our area. She's like, it actually was really wonderful. Like they were well behaved. We drove, you know, we took the twenty minute drive over there and we told them like, this is special. And, you know, they might have shared these French truffle fries that are like delicious. Um, she's like, it was really good and special. And, you know, I want my kids to be able to go to a nice restaurant. And you know, who better to teach them how to behave at a nice restaurant than going out to eat with mom and dad. And like, obviously that's not something they don't go take their kids to a fancy restaurant like that every single week. Um, that was a very much a special occasion that your kids are not going to have that experience unless you do it with them, unless you teach it to them. Um, you know, so, um, do my kids get it right every single time? No. Do I get it right every single time? No. Um, but I give them the opportunity to try, try things or go places or do things. And then sometimes we get in the car afterwards, I'm like, yep, can't do that. Or nope, never doing that again. Um, but like, you know, the reality is we probably will try again, um, whatever that might be. Um, but yeah, I think just, just you gotta do it. Um, you gotta try try these things with your kids. But I think setting that expectation on your way there or on your way in or whatever. Um, but also like something I've learned, and I'm hoping my kid doesn't show up in the middle of this. When your kid pops on a Zoom call with you, I don't know, maybe it's just my my industry. People are always like, hey, you have your kid with you. You know, like it's welcome. Now, I understand that wouldn't work in an operating room or, you know, maybe with your big investor, whomever it may be, but like, kids can really lighten the mood sometimes. So I hope maybe you saw that in some of your meetings this summer. And, you know, people probably did think like how awesome that Denise was, you know, teaching her kids and like, boy, he really shook my hand and like, that's great, you know? So, um, you never know what, what might happen when you take your kids to do something like that. I appreciate you saying that. One of my favorite moments and I talk about it in a previous episode is when we went to a client and downtown Quincy has a lot of businesses with glass windows. And so Hudson was sitting in a rocking chair and the owner said, hey, every time you get somebody to wave, I'll give you a dollar. Oh, this owner owns owes him seven dollars, and he has not seen him yet. He brings it up every time we drive by that he's like, hey, he owes me seven bucks. And I'm like, hey, right, right. It's like those types of things where I appreciate you saying that. And yet also want to give credit to the parents that took him to Kohl's Hearth room. Or you when you do those types of activities like it's hard. I read not too long ago about lowering the expectation of especially things like a vacation in general, for sure, because there's jokes, right? Like you don't stop parenting, you are parenting in a different location. Mhm. And if you set the expectation of a family vacation to be that of adventure and excitement and not of relaxation, it goes a lot better because there's that push and pull of like, oh, vacation is supposed to be relaxing. Well, yeah, sure, if you go with your partner and you leave your kids at home. Sure. Yeah. And I read that and I was like, yes. Yeah. And it helped me so much. It helped me so much. I was at a local coffee shop the other day And I don't know what the situation was. I was thoroughly impressed. There was a man, probably in his upper twenties. Lower thirties. Carrying a new born baby. Had to be less than two weeks old. And a kid. That's probably two or three. You could I I've made it up in my mind that I think that they. This husband took these two little babies out of the house so that the wife could maybe have a hot second to herself. He had three coffees. So we all know that it was like they were they were going home. Yeah. And he was killing it. The baby was crying. And then the little toddler was like trying to hit the, the carrier to. And he was so patient. And I just admire and I look at him and I said, you're doing great. And then the one little boy was still wearing pajamas. And I said, hey, I love your Spiderman pajamas. And he froze. He was like, someone's talking to me. I'm not going to look at her. And the dad looks at me and goes, he's really shy. And I was like, also random person asking questions like, that's okay. And I want to go into like, that's, that could be a lot of people's normals. Kids are not always going to be the type like you and I, Amy, who are like, hi, play with me. Whereas some kids might be a little bit more shy. It doesn't does not make them socially awkward. They are not struggling. They're just quieter. To those parents of quieter kids, what encouragement would you give them? Um, I have one for sure. Um, and I think I mean, just keep showing up. I mean, you know, respect your child, obviously, like if they're uncomfortable, don't put them in a situation where they're going to be uncomfortable. But like, also, like, you don't have to explain your child to anyone. Like you don't owe anyone an explanation. That man did not owe you anything. He could have just said thanks, like, you know, whatever, um, and moved on. But, um, we don't, I mean, yeah, if my kid goes up and punches you, I should probably apologize for his behavior, but like, they're tiny little humans. And obviously we've already talked about their brains are not fully developed yet. Like they're not going to be perfect. We are not robots. Um, so I mean, I think just embracing it, but also like, you don't owe anyone an explanation or an apology for your kids. Um, you know, I say that again, like I said, with the, with the fact that like, you don't have to be disrespectful to somebody, but like the end of the day, like most people, I think reasonably like can, like you see a kid throwing a fit in target, like been there, right. Um, you know, uh, so I mean, it, it, it is what it is. Um, and I think, you know, people sometimes put a lot of weight on that. Like I want my kid to be, you know, come here and be nice and smile for the picture and all that kind of stuff. But like, that's not the reality. Um, and when you see someone's like shiny little Instagram pictures of their perfect, you know, summer with the kids, they're not posting the. whatever, you know, knock down, drag out and melt down and refusal at the dinner table or mess in the bathroom like nobody's going to post that. I mean, some people do post that kind of thing, but, um, I don't know. I think, you know, just lower, like you said, lower the expectations and, you know, just embrace love your kids for who they are. Um, I love how you said you don't owe anyone an explanation or an apology for your kids. And I remember earlier on, I was still in that people pleaser mindset of my kids have to act a certain way in front of certain people because they are judging me based off them. And I'm like, ah, like that is so ingrained. And so when you said that, I'm like, what a good reminder you are so right. And so many of us could benefit from that thought process as long as it's being respectful. As to your point, the other day at a football game, Hudson ran away and then on his way back because he was, um, racing someone on his way back, he hit a little kid and knocked her down. And I, I went and apologize to my mom and she was like, you're fine. It's totally. I'm like, no, I needed to do that for me. Like, yeah, he apologized to. But it's that a different concept. Okay. I have loved our conversation today before we part ways. I kind of want to get technology is such a broad conversation and theme piece. And so a lot of families, especially if they're going to school where technology is included, there can be challenges around that. We're going to keep it simple. But how would you encourage parents to balance screens with intentional interaction? Probably more so for the kids than themselves? Like I think we as an adult population should be like, I'm gonna do better. I'm gonna stop. But how do you encourage that for your kids? Yeah, um, I don't know. I think that I think that it can be a lot more dangerous than what people realize, um, especially like our generation a little bit older than us too. Um, like just there's things like rapidly happening with technology. It changes so quickly that even those of us that might think we're tech savvy, like we've got no clue. Um, you know, enter ChatGPT and AI and all this kind of stuff. There's a whole nother world out there. And so, um, I really do think it's important and it's our responsibility as parents to know, like what you're handing your child. Um, you know, if you hand them a smartphone with no safety measures installed with access to every app under the sun, um, like you might as well just hand them, you know, like something far worse. Um, because like, really it has it, technology can be a wonderful tool and resource. Um, it can help with so many things, but it also can really cause a lot of pain and hurt. Um, so I just encourage people to like, really know the technology. Um, if you don't feel comfortable, if you don't know, there are resources out there. Um, the Tracy Family Foundation here locally has put together, um, and works with an organization called Screen sanity that, um, has put that information out to organizations across our region. Um, and that's, that's available for most anyone, um, to learn to learn a little bit more. And I myself learned a few things, um, sitting in on one of the recent sessions and, um, you know, I think it's okay to admit like, I don't exactly know, um, or, you know, um, I think of another friend who's like, yeah, I gave my, one of my kids, my fifteen year old has a phone with the apps and stuff on it. So, you know, my thirteen year old thought when she turned thirteen, she was going to get the same thing. And like, I know better now. Um, and so I think just really like understanding and like not being afraid to admit to your kids, like, oh, I made a mistake or, oh, like I learned something and I'm going to put this block or this or whatever it might be. Um, you know, humble yourselves to know like, you know, we're going to make mistakes, especially with this thing that changes all the time. Um, so I just, yeah, I see what pops up on my feed, um, on my thing. So I can only imagine what would pop up on my thirteen year old daughter's feed or my eleven year old son's feed, um, things that I don't want them to see yet. And it's our job as parents and caregivers, um, to, you know, protect some of that. So just know, I think what you're handing your kids, I couldn't agree more. I'm a big fan of like not giving your kids cell phones for as long as you possibly can. I understand logistics and family situations. Everybody's different. But and I'm not going to judge people for giving their kids phones, but like, yikes, we didn't have them. We were okay. I didn't get mine until I was like sixteen or seventeen. So I don't know, I, I agree. Oh, and it's and it's hard because we don't you don't want to offend anyone who's made choices differently. We are just respectful. Um, I loved that you brought up screen sanity. So it was actually a year ago, we talked with Tracy on the podcast. So I'm going to link that episode in the show notes so that for Amy, what Amy is talking about, you can get a little taste of what they offer and then their online courses are super, super great. So I will link that. It's called Raising Kids in a Digital World Finding Balance with Tracy Foster of Screen Sanity. So I will post that in the show notes. But such a good point. And you can tell that you've learned some things based on what she talked about as well. So well done, well done, Amy. What a good conversation. This has been so fun. Before we do the lightning round for those locally or for those who might be coming and visiting Quincy, Illinois soon, I want to give you an opportunity to invite people to the Quincy Children's Museum. Yeah. Um, so Quincy Children's Museum is located in downtown Quincy, one fifteen, North fourth. Uh, we're open seven days a week. Mondays are reserved for five and under. Uh, it is actually our ready, set, grow time that we are intentionally doing that brand building, um, and making the environment a little bit different than when the seven, eight, nine year olds are running around. Um, so it's a little bit quieter a little bit. Sometimes it's louder, but, you know, um, and then we do special programs and events all the time. We're constantly changing up our exhibits, um, meeting the different needs of our community, um, and trying different things out, um, before we move into our permanent location. So, um, we'd love to have you. It's five bucks for kids to come in, four bucks for adults. Pretty affordable if I, if I say so myself. Absolutely. And, uh, yeah, we'd love to have you. It is a wonderful environment, and it totally grows with them. Let's do some fun things to only be about you. What is your favorite children's book? Uh, I saw this in your email and I'm like, I don't even know that I have one. I love I spy books and where's Waldo? Okay. That's perfect. So I would pick that. Good. Okay. Best toy for imagination. Um, big fan of dramatic play. So like a kitchen for your kids or a little tool bench, things like that. I love that. That's great. What's your favorite museum exhibit that you've had thus far? Um, I love our art room. Yeah. Um, it's, it's super fun and it's ever changing. So we've done a lot of really cool things. Um, but that's got a special place in my heart. Love it. What is one life skill that every child should learn early? Um. Um, well, okay. I think it's important that kids know, like your phone number. And I did not teach my older kids that, um, and I got the Panera SIPs membership. And so when you pull up to Panera, you tell them your phone number. All of a sudden, my three year old can tell people my phone number and it's one hundred percent because of that. But okay, that maybe isn't the most important, but in the event of an emergency, they can say their mom's phone number. Yes. Which is, which is pretty funny. Um, but I don't know. Um, I think just being able to talk to you, I think like being like, come talk to me, come, you know, make sure it's, I mean, it's a life skill, I guess, to be able to, you know, share what you're thinking or share how you're feeling. Um, and so be that safe space for your kids, um, to be able to come and talk to, or if you don't feel like you necessarily, if you don't feel like they're talking, like, are you doing anything to nurture that, um, them wanting to come talk to you or, you know, do you show them your emotions? Um, and you do it in a way that's appropriate for a child. Um, you know, obviously you don't have to tell your kid your breakup story, but you can say like, mommy's really sad right now and, um, you know, or whatever that might be for depending on their age, but, um, you know, making sure your kids know that you're a safe person to talk to, um, about whatever it is that they need to talk to someone about, I love it. Okay. We've talked about the importance of play and all things kids, but I want to know what is the what's something that brings you joy right now in this season of life? Um, okay, so I can't see my kids. Um, I love thrifting. I love going to an antique mall. Cool. Um, we, I just love that. So good. I love finding little bits of treasure and yeah, it's so fun. Oh, I love it. One of my, as we wrap up our time, I want to say one of my favorite things that you said today was play as an invitation invitation to connect with one another. And I know that I could benefit from keeping that in mind a little bit more. When the asks come in with your long to do list. So thank you for sharing that, Amy, and we will connect all of you with Amy in our show notes and the Quincy Children's Museum and a link to all of that. But we just appreciate your expertise when it comes to children's play and the importance of imaginative play and development. And thank you for all that you are doing for the future of kids, because it is hard and yet you can do hard things. Thank you for listening to the Working Moms Redefined podcast. It is not lost on me that you chose to spend time together. Thank you. Let's connect outside of the space on socials. We'd love for you to follow us on Instagram, Facebook, LinkedIn, Pinterest. We've got it all to connect with you. If you feel as if someone in your life could be impacted by this message, feel free to share it. That is the biggest compliment. As we part ways together. Remember, you can do hard things.
