Feb 13 • Train Daily 🏋️
Gorilla Time...
Lately, my son and I have been doing something simple every morning. After breakfast, we set a five minute timer and we “be gorillas.”
That’s it. Gorilla time.
It started as basic roughhousing and nonverbal play. Chest pounding, crawling around, making ridiculous noises. The kind of physical father son play every study says is good for kids.
But it’s become more than that.
Sometimes we stay in full gorilla mode. Sometimes we’re gorillas while listening to his Toniebox. Sometimes we’re gorillas who count. Sometimes it’s just exercise and eye contact and figuring each other out without words.
A few things I’ve noticed about it:
We set a timer. When the timer goes off, we’re done. That structure matters. It’s teaching him that activities have boundaries and that transitions are part of life.
It’s his choice. I don’t bring it up. If he wants gorilla time, he asks for it. If he loses interest halfway through, the timer keeps running and we move on when it ends. I don’t chase him to re-engage. He’s starting to learn that if something matters to him, he has to prioritize it.
There’s physical play, which builds connection. There’s nonverbal communication, which we’re still working on. There’s structure. There’s agency.
And it’s five minutes.
I love movies. Sharing a film with him feels special. But if I’m honest, there have been plenty of times we’ve just vegged on the couch. That’s not really connection. That’s proximity.
Gorilla time feels different. It’s intentional. It’s active. It’s ours.
I don’t think everyone needs to “be gorillas.” But I do think every dad should have something small, repeatable, and special that belongs just to them and their kid.
Even five minutes can mean something.
What’s your version of gorilla time?
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Gorilla Time...
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It’s one thing to tell our kids they can be anything.
It’s another to show them how.
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