Parenting Win of the Week: The Ritual of Wordle

A little bit of "me time" never hurt anybody.

Woman plays Wordle on her smartphone from the living room of her home using just three guesses on 21st April 2022 in Birmingham, United Kingdom. Wordle is a web-based word game played by millions of users / players worldwide often on their mobile devices. The game was created and developed by software engineer Josh Wardle, and owned by The New York Times Company since 2022. (photo by Mike Kemp/In Pictures via Getty Images)

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Woman plays Wordle on her smartphone from the living room of her home using just three guesses on 21st April 2022 in Birmingham, United Kingdom. Wordle is a web-based word game played by millions of users / players worldwide often on their mobile devices. The game was created and developed by software engineer Josh Wardle, and owned by The New York Times Company since 2022. (photo by Mike Kemp/In Pictures via Getty Images)

Photo by: Mike Kemp

Mike Kemp

I said I wouldn’t jump on the bandwagon. Everyone started to post their Wordle scores across social media, so I was curious. I tried it once and posted my score once. And I have been doing Wordle each and every day since (although I did stop posting my scores).

It’s probably not a surprise that I like a word game, being a writer and all. What has been surprising though is how much I enjoy the ritualistic moment that Wordle brings. Every weekday morning, I bring my laptop downstairs ready to start my day, pour a cup of coffee, and start with Wordle before I tackle my to-do list. Sometimes, my oldest son joins in on the fun with me, and sometimes he’s off playing Weddle, the football version where you have to figure out an NFL football player.

My mom and younger brother also play Wordle and every morning, we share our scores via text. It’s a nice way to connect with them in the morning as well.

I think it brings a little calm to the start of the day. Sometimes, it takes only a few minutes, other days a bit longer, but it has been a really nice way to break between the hustle and bustle of getting my kids out the door and the start of the work day.

On the weekends, I will sometimes complete Wordle in bed and other times, I skip it. The goal is for it to not feel like a burden.

As the end of the school year approaches, I know we parents get insanely busy between final school activities, sports, more social obligations, and year-end projects. Even if it’s not Wordle for you, I think it’s helpful to have something you do every day — it can be more traditional like meditation or journaling, or it can be as simple as reading your favorite celebrity column or listening to part of a podcast.

And I know, it feels so hard to squeeze another thing in. But do it! Take those five minutes to yourself and you’ll thank me when you are running around the next morning trying to find crazy socks for sock day or ironing the tuxedo for Xtra fancy day.

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