The Busy Bee Who Learned to Slow Down

Busy bees like to do lots of things. They explore new places, try new activities, and learn all that they can! But what happens when a busy bee becomes too busy? Well, you teach yourself to stop and smell the flowers! In this episode of “Once Upon a Playtime,” we’ll learn how writer and entrepreneur Danielle Prescod discovered the value of slowing down, why it is important to balance scheduled activities with unstructured playtime, and how board games can help kids develop resilience.

“Being able to just stop, even for one minute or two minutes, is hugely beneficial.”

Narrator:

Welcome to “Once a Upon a Playtime”, a podcast from The Genius of Play for parents and their kids about the serious importance of having fun. Today's story is “The Busy Bee Who Learned to Slow Down” – a true tale about the value of free time.

Danielle Prescod:

My name is Danielle Prescod, and I'm an author, I'm a Leo and I'm allergic to cats.

Narrator:

Danielle is too busy to have a cat anyways, but we'll get to that. Like she said, Danielle is a writer and she, like so many writers before her, began her career with a diary.

Danielle Prescod:

My first journal, I think, was an accident. My parents took us to Disney World in Florida and they got us these autograph books so that we could go meet the characters and they would sign them. One day, the day that we were supposed to go to SeaWorld, it was a hurricane and so we were stuck inside. So my sister and I were writing in our diaries about how we couldn't go outside because of the hurricane.

Narrator:

A storm canceling a day at SeaWorld sounds like a whale of a bummer. But it provided an unusual opportunity for Danielle – an unscheduled and unstructured chunk of time to do whatever. You see, Danielle was a busy bee.

Danielle Prescod:

I always was in a hurry to grow up as well. I always was like trying to get to the next stage of life.

Narrator:

Busy bees like to do lots of things. They explore new places, try new activities and learn all that they can. In fact, Danielle had so much that she wanted to learn that she filled her schedule with lessons, lessons, and more lessons. She took music lessons.

Danielle Prescod:

I played the violin.

Narrator:

And when she wasn't busy playing the violin, she took horseback riding lessons.

Danielle Prescod:

I took my first horseback riding lesson when I was nine years old.

Narrator:

And when she wasn't busy riding horses, she took dance lessons.

Danielle Prescod:

We were in dance class and we did several sports kind of in rotation.

Narrator:

Music, horseback riding, dance – all of these things seem really fun. And for many kids, that's exactly what they are. But unlike Cyndi Lauper, busy bees don't just want to have fun.

Danielle Prescod:

I think that the concept of something being fun was kind of secondary to doing it right or doing it well.

Narrator:

Hold on a minute. I can sense some wasps swarming, ready to judge the parents, but put those stingers away. Danielle's parents made play a priority and they worked hard to give Danielle many opportunities for fun.

Danielle Prescod:

I think it's important that people understand that I'm black and that both my parents are black. And so creating an environment where children can play in a world that is not necessarily safe for them to even exist in, was very important to my parents.

Narrator:

Danielle's parents made sure that Danielle knew that there were lots of things she could do, and Danielle wanted to do them all. Some kids just like being busy bees.

Danielle Prescod:

When I was a kid, my mom would be like, "Do you want to stay in dance?" And I'd be like, "Yeah." She'd be like, "Okay, because you never smile when you're dancing." And I was like, "Well ballet is serious. So yeah, because I was concentrating so hard on doing it well."

Narrator:

Like many young busy bees, Danielle couldn't wait to grow up. She wanted to be the very best grown-up that she could be. So Danielle took her lessons very, very seriously. But even busy bees need to play.

Danielle Prescod:

I have a younger sister. We would make up games a lot. We would often act out favorite movies or television shows. We would be like, "I get to be this character. You get to be this character."

Narrator:

Playing make-believe doesn't feel as serious as violin, ballet, or horseback riding lessons. But playing make-believe taught Danielle a lot. When children play make-believe, they naturally use more advanced grammar and vocabulary. They also practice storytelling, empathize with characters and just let their imagination soar. And those things are pretty important for future writers. Danielle also played with her whole family. Sometimes they would play board games.

Danielle Prescod:

Growing up, my family's favorite game to play together was Pictionary. We would play it at every holiday gathering.

Narrator:

And sometimes, they would play sports.

Danielle Prescod:

Every Thanksgiving, we have a tennis tournament called the Turkey Shoot Out, and we've been doing it for like 23 years.

Narrator:

Friendly competition through board games and tennis tournaments teaches children important skills. Competitive games help children learn resilience, the ability to bounce back after losing. It's something that New York Knicks have learned, season after season. And perhaps most importantly, a bit of healthy competition can help children believe in themselves. And as every writer knows, resilience and confidence are two skills that are necessary for making it in the tough world of publishing. Play gave Danielle strong language skills, resilience, and confidence. So when she decided to write a book, she already had a strong foundation thanks to play.

Danielle Prescod:

Then I just was like, okay, the only thing you have to do is write. And so that's what I did. It certainly took discipline and I had to write every single day, but I finished the bones of the book really in two months. I was kind of shocked by how that worked out. I thought it would be harder.

Narrator:

For many new and aspiring writers, writing a book is on their bucket list, but it's hard to achieve. It even takes experienced writers an average of four to eight months to finish their first draft. Danielle finished hers in two. Now for most people, writing a book would be more than enough, but for busy bees, it's a bit different.

Danielle Prescod:

My first job is that I'm an author.

Narrator:

And when she's not busy being an author.

Danielle Prescod:

I run a consulting agency and we oversee helping fashion and beauty brands become anti-racist.

Narrator:

And when she's not busy running her own business.

Danielle Prescod:

I oversee marketing for a skincare startup.

Narrator:

Once a busy bee, always a busy bee. But every once in a while, Danielle tries to take things slow.

Danielle Prescod:

I'm trying to train myself where I can do one thing in a day. I don't need to do seven things in a day.

Narrator:

Slowing down can be challenging for a busy bee. After all, there are so many new places, new activities and new things to learn.

Danielle Prescod:

But it's still hard because I have so much that I want to achieve that I'm kind of always working too. But I've really tried to take a real break.

Narrator:

Children and grown-ups need to balance unstructured time with obligations like school and work. Danielle's childhood was busy with all sorts of structured activities, but sometimes she wishes that as a kid, she had taken a little bit more time to have fun.

Danielle Prescod:

I never was really the age that I was, because I was like, well, when I'm 13, this, but when I'm 16, this, but when I'm 18, this. I was always racing to get to the next step. And now I'm like, I'm cool, let's slow it down. But I think learning to take increments of time to appreciate things would be an important thing to learn at an earlier age.

Narrator:

Busy bees, whether they're grown-ups or kids, like to do lots and lots of things. They explore new places, try new activities and learn all that they can. But even the busiest bees need to stop and smell the flowers sometimes. So before we all buzz away, don't forget to make time to play!

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