FOUR THINGS ABOUT PILLOWFIGHT THERAPY

1

THE RULES

Every afternoon, after the children have tried to learn at home, meet in a room that has space enough to, erm, swing a cat. Yelling, screaming, tackling, wrestling and hitting — with a pillow — are OK. No kicking, biting, scratching, punching or hair-pulling. No smothering (duh). Don’t hold on to another’s pillow in order to hit them with yours.

2

THE ESSENTIALS

A heavy duty buckwheat pillow may provide the perfect support for your neck at night but it will knock an opponent out cold. Feather or down pillows work best, or a soft foam. Don’t use couch pillows; they can be scratchy, have button or zippers that can do some damage.

3

THE TIMING

Set a timer for 15 minutes. Letting loose on each other lets everyone express the frustration, fear, sadness and anger that has seeped into their lives after being ordered to stay at home. Any longer than that and it could become a fight about something else entirely.

4

RISKS/REWARDS

If someone loses an eye (so to speak), a trip to the hospital might be out of the question just now. But the rewards are too great to consider stopping the daily dustups. They will end up sweaty, out of breath, exhilarated. And, the fight will have added another very necessary element: laughter.