ABSTRACT
Almost everyone can recall a play experience that becomes “not fun” or “not play.” Whether a memory of not being chosen for the neighborhood baseball game, being unable to hit the hoop, hit the little white ball sitting on the little pin in the green grass, always missing the volley at the crucial moment, or maybe even being more interested in the flowers than the action around the soccer ball—the memories are bittersweet. In thinking about these “experiences” or family stories, the tendency is to shrug and say “oh well”; it’s just one of those things. This is because so many more successful memories of “good play” crowd to the front of recollection. After all, the marvelous sculptures created from clay or play dough, the exquisite puns, clever raps, the record-setting broad jump, or the story of being the “cutest” turkey in the play inspire a reservoir of competence.
