I loved Amy Willis’s interview of co-blogger Bryan Caplan. The questions were on target and Bryan’s thoughtful answers showed what a good, caring father he is. The interview went far beyond home schooling and got into how to be a good parent.

I made notes at the time, but didn’t time stamp them. So I don’t remember where in the interview Bryan said this, but it was clear that he understood the importance of play and joy in his children’s lives.

It’s important, not just for kids, but also for adults, to have play.

Years ago, Stuart Brown, who used to be married to my cousin Joan Henderson, was on a commission appointed by Texas governor John Connally in 1966 to look into the actions and motives of Charles Whitman. Whitman was the sharpshooter who murdered 10 people from a perch on the observation deck of the University of Texas tower. In total, he murdered 16 people.

Being on that commission changed Stuart Brown’s life. What he concluded was that Whitman had not had much play in his life and that that was a key factor in how he turned out. Stuart then spent, and is spending, the rest of his professional life advocating play. Here he is in a TED talk on that topic.