Photo: bismapar / TikTok
She says it helps her feel 'carefree,' and it turns out swinging is actually therapeutic
By John Sundholm — Written on Mar 15, 2023
When you're a parent navigating the stress of raising kids, it's easy to forget that your little ones can be feelings life's stresses too—the demands of school, activities, and learning how to socialize require tons of brain energy, after all.
One mom on TikTok's daughter has found the perfect way to decompress after the long school day that has people feeling nostalgic about the whimsy of childhood, and experts pointing out that it's a legitimately beneficial way to help the brain deal with the demands of day-to-day life for people of all ages.
A mom says her daughter uses swinging to wind down after school.
Mom and TikToker Bisma Parvez, known as @bismapar on the app, has gone viral after sharing the sweet way her young daughter lets off steam after her school day.
Parvez's video shows her little girl avidly swinging on their backyard play equipment as she looks on wistfully, underscored to singer Lizzy McAlpine's song "Ceilings." In the onscreen text, she explains, "my daughter comes home from school every day and swings for an hour. She says it's where she comes to 'not think'—her most carefree place."
In her caption, she wished her daughter the simple things every parent wants for their child. "May you always have ease and peace my love," she wrote.
Many of her fellow TikTokers loved the video, and shared their own similar love of swinging as a means of relaxation. "I’m 16 and still love swinging," one commenter wrote. "It really does make me feel relaxed and just carefree."
"Your daughter is legit who I aspire to be," another person wrote, while several others thanked Parvez for allowing her child to practice self-care. Parvez was deeply moved by the response, commenting on her video, "I was not expecting the comments to be so sentimental in the last video. Made me cry!!!"
In a follow-up video, the mom revealed she has swings all over their house because she, too, finds swinging therapeutic.
Another TikToker who was deeply moved by the video had a parenting suggestion for Parvez. "When she goes through her first heartbreak or is having a rough time as an adult, take her to the park and just swing together."
Parvez loved the idea and, in response, posted a video she filmed with her daughter on a porch swing about how swinging is already a therapeutic hobby she and her daughter share.
"My daughter and I love to swing," she wrote in the onscreen text. "She says it's her place to 'not think' and I was the exact same way." She went on to say that she has several swings in her home for exactly this reason. "I love the idea of sharing this with her," she said, "and will def use this coping mechanism in the future with her."
Swinging is actually a legitimately healing act for the nervous system and is even used by therapists.
As several of Parvez's commenters pointed out, swinging is highly beneficial to the vestibular system, a sensory system located inside the inner ear that affects coordination and balance. As one of Parvez's commenters put it, swinging is "one of the most regulating activities for the human body! Vestibular Stimulation at its finest."
Swinging is so beneficial that, as seen in the video below, it is even used as a therapeutic modality, especially for children with autism spectrum disorders, kids who are neurodivergent, and those who have sensory processing disorders.
In fact, swinging therapy coupled with other activities that impact the vestibular system, like obstacle courses, can even help non-verbal autistic children begin to speak by helping them access the calm physical state needed for speech, according to Shay Michel, an occupational therapist in Naperville, Illinois.
Activating the vestibular system is incredibly beneficial for the elderly as well, who are prone to a loss of balance and coordination. And as you might have guessed, there's a reason there's a swing on every new parent's baby registry—swinging helps infants' vestibular systems develop the much-needed balance skills needed for learning how to do everything from rolling over to taking their first steps.
Who knew a simple bit of playground whimsy could be so important?
John Sundholm is a news and entertainment writer who covers pop culture, social justice and human interest topics.