...to not be one of those mums who sits & plays, cooks, does crafts etc., with kids?

[ScouseBird8364]

I tend to get bouts of guilt over this.

I rarely sit down with boys (6 & 3), and do artsy crafty type things, and I wonder if I'm failing as a parent in some way by not doing so?

Serious thread, how involved are you in this respect with your little ones?

[RainbowInACloud]

I like doing stuff like that but an not great at outdoorsy stuff. I think it all balances out- everyone has strengths and weaknesses.

[LEMmingaround]

Those mums........they are not real!!

[ChaosTrulyReigns]

I'm a bit middle of the road, do some, but less activities than I'd like to. Def did more with my first DC, but less with my fourth.

Just sorted out 5 landry cupboards full of arts and crafts stuff that I'd bought with good intentions (or had received as gits) and passed them on. It upset me a lot, but my youngest is now 8 and well past the point of being intetested in a lot of it. Time fecking flies. I wish I'd done more.

[ginslinger]

I wasn't great at crafting. Did a lot of reading and we did play a lot of board games but DH was better at that. We went swimming a lot and i took them on bikes. Probably more sport than craft.

[KatoPotato]

Big difference between 'Arts & Crafts' and 'Sits & Plays'

I will sit and play with DS, but he mostly berates my style, so I end up on the floor getting a character assassination for how I'm portraying Captain Barnacles... It's fun though.

Arts is DH's domain, they do the messy stuff like play doh and painting. They made glow in the dark fish for his ceiling yesterday.

I find magazines are great, and he has a wee stack on his table with some felt tip pens readily available, and i'll often find him sitting doing a maze or some stickers etc, without much mess!

Cooking, he has no interest in, unless it's to steal some grated cheese then wander off!

[ScouseBird8364]

See, this is my worry, I don't want them to get to an age where they don't want to do these things anymore, and me to look back and say I wish I'd done more

Mine are kind of left to their own devives, when it comes to their play etc

[tumbletumble]

I'm not a crafty person, but I love reading to my DC and playing outside with them. We cook together sometimes too.

[AMumInScotland]

Did you do a ton of arts stuff before you had children? Do you still wish you could do it but the nasty little brats would spoil the fun you were having?

If so - feel guilty.

If not, welcome to the real world - if you have interests in things, you share them with your children. If something isn't particularly of interest to you, why would you choose that as a thing to do with them?

I never took my DS scuba diving, or to play cricket, or lots of other things, because they were not things near the top of my 'fun ways to spend a day' list.

So long as you spend time with them, doing something, you're doing ok as a parent.

[Tortoiseturtle]

I hate craft. Totally inartistic. Bought the DCs loads of arty crafty books but just can't bring myself to do anything with them. But I do do other stuff with them. And they do some arty stuff at least at school. They are as good at art as the others, despite my lack of input.

[ScouseBird8364]

Theselittle, no not particularly! I hate to say it but they'd much rather play on the DS

though we do love reading, me and the boys, but I see people on Facebook who always seem to be baking with their kids and I feel a bit of a failure as a mum for not doing so

[gastrognome]

No point trying to be somebody you are not! I love doing arts and crafts with my girls but hate taking them to the park or doing sporty stuff with them so DH does that. No harm done, I don't think.

[Needingthework]

I used to do a lot of crafty things with DS1 as he was an only for a while and I was a SAHM. I found it boring though.

Then he started nursery and they did it, then DS2 started nursery and he did it there. DS3 got to do it at nursery and the children's centres .

I do more crafty stuff with them now, but that is due to the amount of school projects they have.

[WowserBowser]

No silly, that's what nursery is for!

[WowserBowser]

X-post Needing !

[ScouseBird8364]

AMum thank you No, I was never interested in those things myself.

I think Facebook makes me feel shit, I really do need to come off it fed up of seeing these 'perfect parent' status's from mums who seem to be super mums, constantly sat down with their kids

[ElephantsNeverForgive]

Craft yes, because I enjoy it.
Cooking, no because the DDs always fight and imaginative play - no way. It bored me witless as a child, why on earth would I want to do it now?

[SaucyJack]

Guilt is a wasted emotion. If you want to bake with your kids then buy a bag of flour and some sprinkles and get on with it.

If you'd rather spend quality time with them doing other things- that's fine too.

You do need to do something tho IMO. Kids will notice and remember if we're all too busy mumsnetting doing the housework to ever spend time having fun with them.

[ToomuchIsBackOnBootcamp]

I don't have a crafty gene in my body, loathe glittery shit, moon sand was my frickin nemesis. But DS got loads of swimming, park, walking, chasing bubbles, Lego time and bedtime stories. He liked doing a bit of painting at pre school nursery but always seemed to prefer being outside, playing with the toy cars, or running about. I played to our strengths!!

Did have guilt sometimes that I didn't bake with him (I'm a low carber and NEVER bake!) or make amazing collages out of pasta and toilet roll tubes. But then I look at my happy, healthy, sporty boy with arms covered in loom band bracelets and think well, we did ok! Do what you enjoy, let them try whatever they fancy, chill.

[Sirzy]

I think the important thing is spending time doing things with your children, what it is you do is less important

[CrispyFB]

That's what nursery is for! I really don't enjoy doing that kind of stuff - get bored/inpatient very easily, and I hate the mess. And as they get older they're able to do some stuff unsupervised anyway.

However we do loads of stuff together outdoors so I try not to feel too guilty!