Eunhae Han’s Reviews > Playful Parenting: An Exciting New Approach to Raising Children That Will Help You Nurture Close Connections, Solve Behavior Problems, and Encourage Confidence > Status Update

The central message is repeated:

Connection comes before correction.

Cohen begins by explaining why anger is so intense for kids:

They have little control over their lives.

They lack the language to express complex emotions.

They feel powerless much of the time.

Their nervous systems are still developing

Cohen emphasizes that playfulness is a tool for building connection, but boundaries still matter.

Example:
If a child refuses bedtime, silliness can help them relax into bedtime—but silliness should not be used to avoid setting bedtime at all.

Playfulness supports structure; it doesn’t replace it.

When a child is grumpy, the parent might say, “Oh no…did your giggles fall out? Let me check your pockets!”

This form of humor works because it shifts the emotional dynamic, taking the child out of defensiveness.

Cohen warns that silliness should never be:

mocking,

overstimulating,

rough in a way the child doesn’t like,

intrusive,

too loud or chaotic.

Good silliness is gentle and attuned—matching the child’s energy and preferences.

Cohen explains that playfulness is the key to “unsticking” them.
Examples:

Instead of:
“Put your shoes on now!”

Try:
“Oh no! This shoe is attacking me! Help!”

Cohen emphasizes that when children “act out,” the core issue is usually disconnection—from the parent, from themselves, or from emotional balance.

children don’t often come out and verbally say things like “I feel disconnected” or “I’m overwhelmed.” Instead, they communicate these feelings through behavior—clinginess, defiance, whining—or through inviting adults into imaginative, silly, or physical play.
Play becomes a form of language, and parents who learn to “listen” through playful engagement can better understand what a child is really expressing.