This article written by Contributing Writer Tom Bowns.

A really cool thing I hadn’t considered before my first child came along is that having kids is a license to do kid stuff again.

It’s a license to play.

A grown person playing hopscotch or setting up troops of little green army men would be considered bizarre unless that person were playing along with a kid. You have a kid, and you get a free pass to have fun.

Heck, people expect it. They’d thing something was wrong with you if you had a baby and didn’t talk silly to him, make faces or act like a total goofball. It’s not just permission to be playful, it’s an obligation.

So why not run with it? You’re a fun-loving dad. You have the opportunity and the rationale, so go ahead and play!

We were all in such a hurry to grow up and act “cool” during middle school and high school. We were all eager to put away the childish games. But at some point after having reached that magical state of maturity we sought after, the sad realization struck us that we had to give up our playfulness. Sure, you can play racquetball or one-on-one basketball with the guys… but you can’t turn the furniture over to make a fort, or play Tarzan up in the trees, or play Cowboys in the backyard with your adult buddies. Not as a serious grown-up person.

And then you have a child!  Everything changes – you are allowed to play again. It doesn’t matter if you have a boy or girl, if you let them know you’re available for some serious play time they’ll be all over it.

I like to think of myself as a very experienced kid. A child who has been nine for the past thirty-six years. Thus I bring a wealth of playtime skill to my kids’ lives. I know just how to prop pillows up on top of the blankets that festoon the overturned living room furniture to keep them from slipping off. I can draw excellent control panels on cardboard boxes to construct a proper space vessel for interplanetary combat. I know all the best ways to conceal yourself when playing hide-and-seek. I feel honored to be able to pass these talents along to my children. And they are more than happy to learn.

I was eager to finally take my daughters to Disneyland in 2001 when they were old enough. To prepare for our visit, I studied websites devoted to the park. It was then that I realized I’d forgotten how completely amazing the place was – a place “where dreams really do come true.” By the time we were set to go, I was nearly bursting at the seams with excitement. My investigation had given me a whole new appreciation of Disneyland. I never would have reached that point, nor would I likely have ever visited again, had I not had children.

My kids have allowed me to experience a youthful exuberance for life all over again. I may be their father and, as such, given them life, love, shelter and protection, but they have given me permission to play.

Do you play with your kids? What are your favorite things to do with them?  Please share some examples of the fun things you do with your license to play!

Tom Bowns is a Contributing Writer for Discovering Dad. His personal site is Being Michael’s Daddy. You can also follow Tom on Twitter @michaelsdaddy.

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