"21 Questions" w/ Meredith Sinclair
Meredith Sinclair, resident ringleader, perennial cheer captain, and author of “Well Played: The Ultimate Guide to Awakening Your Family's Playful Spirit,” went from ruling the classroom to running the playground all in an effort to bring silly back.
With a Masters in Education, Meredith is an expert in the toy, family, and corporate play spaces, and is booked regularly as a spokesperson for brands like Nintendo, Juicy Juice, and Genius of Play. She is also a frequent contributor to the Today Show, Fox & Friends, Hallmark Home & Family, and Access Hollywood Live, speaking to the art and aspirations of play. You can see Meredith in action making life fun over on Instagram @Meredithplays or online at www.meredithplays.com
1.) What was your childhood nickname?
“Merrily” (A mash-up of my first and middle names Meredith & Lee, and the name I went by exclusively until college)
2.) What is your favorite lullaby?
Tired Desperado…a song I used to sing to my sons when they were little
3.) What is your favorite bedtime story?
The Seven Silly Eaters
4.) What did you want to be growing up?
An actress and/or dancer…I enjoy an audience,
5.) What is your most treasured childhood item?
An orange 1960’s tall metal step stool I always sat on in my grandmother’s kitchen while she cooked. It’s now in my kitchen and holds the dog food, but whatever.
6.) What was your favorite snack as a child?
Big puffy Cheese Doodles. They’re still my downfall, only now I buy the baked ones and pretend they’re healthy.
7.) Who was your favorite cartoon character?
I was a total Smurfs sorta girl. I gravitate toward pretend utopia.
8.) If you could have one superpower, what would it be?
The ability to go back in time and experience one day with my boys at various ages.
9.) What was the name of your childhood pet?
Sadly, I only had a kitten for about a month when I was in kindergarten, until our landlord made us get rid of it. I’m now a dog person.
10.) If you could bring one thing back from your childhood what would it be?
The non-existence of social media
11.) What is your best excuse as a parent to get out of something?
My kids are now grown and flown, so I more often invent reasons to be IN something with them.
12.) What’s your coffee order?
‘Honey!… don’t forget to make the coffee!!” (a splash of oat milk is my scene)
13.) Are you an early bird or a night owl?
Unfortunately, kinda both.
14.) What is your walkout song?
Shut Up and DANCE
15.) What is your favorite childhood memory?
Getting in my Pj’s, my mom piling my two brothers and me into the back of our station wagon, hitting the gas station for snacks (hello, cheese doodles), and going to the Drive In movies for a double feature. Small town bliss.
16.) Where is your favorite family vacation spot?
A Cowboy Cabin on a ski run in Big Sky, Montana.
17.) What is your secret TV guilty pleasure?
The Real Housewives of Everywhere
18.) What is your idea of perfect happiness?
This is SUCH an existential question and I’ve grown to love it. So here goes… Knowing that my family is thriving and safe and living each day staying true to who I am, unabashedly and unapologetically, as best I can. Oh, and a dirty martini with my husband on a Friday night.
19.) What is your best parental advice?
I’m on the other side, so trust me on this. Focus on the joyful process of raising your kids rather than the product you aim to achieve. What you’ll cherish most when they’re all raised up are the hours you spent playfully and thoughtfully connecting with each other, building trust, instilling character traits you value, and slowly building a firm foundation. The natural outcome of that is a child that’s ready to fly out into the world confidently on their own.
20.) What is your favorite movie line?
Whatever anything else is, it ought to begin by being personal (You’ve Got Mail)
21.) What is your life motto?
Work hard, play harder
