At the start of the usual chaos that is our home in the 30 minutes it takes to get our boys dressed, scrubbed, brushed and somewhat fed in time for school, my husband told me this morning, you’ve got to play this video game. I gave him the deadly, silent pause. You know the one: the one that says I’ve got five loads of laundry to do, a kitchen floor with enough dirt for a mud hut, and I’m going to skulk into work late…again. And you want me to do what?

But this is different, he said. It almost made him cry.

The game is Gravitation, and it’s making the rounds on the Internet. It’s free, takes no time at all to download and about 10 minutes to play. If you’re a working mom and dad struggling to pay the bills, anxious about what the economy will mean to your and your kids’ future and struggling to live in the moment with your kids, this isn’t likely to make you feel any better.

Play it, and let us know what you think. (To jump, press the space key. To go left or right use the arrow keys.)

To get the ball rolling: I can’t say it made me cry, but I re-lived a conversation with my four-year-old this morning. Dressed in his froggy boots and costume bomber jacket, he was excited about a field trip today in the woods with his pre-school.

“A lot of kids’ moms are going,” he said, stopping short of asking if I could go too. He already knew the answer, of course.

“Oh, I wish I could go with you sweetie,” I said. “But you know mommy has to work today.”

So, I dropped him off at school in his froggy boots. Here I am at a computer earning the needed dollar and feeling, I suppose, professionally satisfied. At least it’s a beautiful day for him to romp in the woods.  — Nancy