Design For Life

Advice column: I want to play with my infant daughter, but I don’t know how

This week, psychotherapist Richard Hogan guides a reader whose upbringing is hindering his attempts to have fun and engage with his toddler

Don’t let fear and attachment style get in the way of playing with a child

Dear Expert,

I am a father of one in a very happy marriage. Our toddler daughter wants her parents to play with her (blocks, make-believe and so on), but while my wife seems to enjoy this, I try to avoid it.

I sense this is because my parents never played with me or any of my four siblings. Ours was a tense and very strict household. I am determined to be fun and engage with ...