Will you help settle a 'heated discussion' please :)

[Helenemjay]

Its quite a nice day today and our boys (6 and 3.5) have spent alot of time in the house lately playing computer games as the weather hasnt been so good has it, so today i have put their shoes on and chucked them out, thay have lots of toys out there and i cant see any good reason why they should be in the house, but when our ds2 complained about it and said he was bored and wanted to come in dp said i am being unfair and i shouldnt make them play out there if they dont want to, am i being unfair or is he being soft? i honestly cant see any reason why they cant be outside playing on a nice day!

[Tutter]

can you all go out as a family and do something outdoorsy?

[colditz]

I do that. It's not as if they are out there, alone and in the rain.

Give them a job to do, like picking up all toys or garden rubbish, or digging you a hole. They will either do it or find something else to do.

[Greensleeves]

I can see your point, Helenemjay, but personally I wouldn't make them play outside. I would have given them the option of playing outside but not shut them out there. I remember being ordered to "go out and play" when I was a child and I really resented it.

[Sparkler1]

Helenemjay you've just motivated me to get mine outside. They are always on the computer/watching tv etc. We bought then an 8ft trampoline with enclosure last month gonna get them out on that I think.

[magnolia1]

I have 4 girls and 2 of them love being out while the other 2 don't really like being outside for too long. We walk the dogs or go blackberry picking ect.... that gets them out but I wouldn't make them go out in the garden if they didn't want to!

[HRHQueenOfQuotes]

DH does the same thing as you - when the weather is nice chucks them outside and tells 'em to get on with it........while I'm not quite as strict when I'm on my own I certianly don't complain when he does it when I'm around

[ScummyMummy]

I think saying "you've had enough screentime, find something else to do" can be a better alternative than insisting on specific other activities if this is free time we're talking about.

[Helenemjay]

Well i have to be honest im quite a strict mummy and i have just had 6 weeks of them being around in the house all day and playing computer games, i think when the weather is nice im not going to have them in the house still just because they are 'bored' outside - they are only bored because there's no xbox out there! we took them out to the park yesterday for a couple of hours and they enjoyed it, but its not going to be long before the weather changes and its permanently freezing cold and raining and then they obviously wont go outside.
They are both now playing out there lovely and are having great fun, but dp still thinks im being mean...???

[Helenemjay]

Lol sparkler fresh air is FAR better for them then stuffy house air and computers/indoor games.

[Kelly1978]

I've made mine go out! they want to sit and watch dvds. They can do plenty of that when the weather gets colder.

[Helenemjay]

[Greensleeves]

I kind of half agree with you I think. I would definitely put my foot down about switching off the Xbox, remove it if necessary, and I would say "It's a beautiful day, we don't need the television on, I'm sure you can find something better to do". But I wouldn't shut them outside and not let them back in. We have a patio door which I would leave open so they could come in and out.

[Helenemjay]

EXACTLY kelly1978!!!

[Helenemjay]

Oh dont get me wrong i havent shut them out, the door is open and i am in and out doing laundry and cleaning up anyway so im in sight if they need me, but it is a really lovely day here there is no wind, the sun is really shining and we live in the countryside (small village) so it is lovely and quiet - ds2 was sat watching the birds bathing a second ago and said how pretty they were how can that be 'mean', fgs neither of them EVER want a bath either i suppose its nasty and mean to make them do that too...

[Greensleeves]

I didn't say you were nasty and mean, it's just different personal styles I think.

The only difference is that I wouldn't tell mine they couldn't come back inside if they wanted to. Although I would be hoping that they would decide it was more fun outside because the telly was off limits

[Helenemjay]

Well our tv is off and staying off but they do keep wandering in and saying strange things like "oh youve got a nice carpet mummy" "i had to tell yout that" i of course humour them, but they arent staying in unless it hits -20c and is snowing blizzards - if that means im mean than so be it.

[drosophila]

You will go and play and you will have fun!!!

[Helenemjay]

Damn right

[PinkTulips]

oh the momories..... rows of children sat on the kerb all summer long bored and hot as their parents had booted them out 'to play'.

'will we play chasing'
'nah'
'how bout riding our bikes'
'nah'
'we could build a fort'
'nah'
'cops and robbers'
'nah'............

hated it but will definitely 100% be doing it to my 2! did us no harm and at least we were getting fresh air

[wartywarthog]

i'd just limit the amount of time they're allowed on their xbox. and then go outside with them this afternoon and read a newspaper on the grass while they make roads for their cars in your lovely flower beds!

[Helenemjay]

HAHAHA oh you are so right pinktulips lol i too remember those chats with friends, i really cant see what dammage im doing by insisting my kids are outside in the fresh air! Wartywarthog - i did have flower beds once lol - i gave up and got rid of them all a year or two ago, i have a complete flowerless garden front AND back they just dont survive my two boys! We make sure we have lovely grass for them to play on, and they are happy hiding their cars in my cupressus trees atm!

[magnolia1]

Well I can't believe all of mine have asked to go out!!!! All playing quite happily while Dh makes trifle in the Kitchen

[Mum2FunkyDude]

Give them something fun to do, like making a winter vegetable garden?

[Cailyn3]

"But I want to play inside!" - "thats nice dear, if you want to play inside you can do some handwriting practice/tidy up the sitting room/sweep the dining room floor/help mummy with the wet washing etc" Sends my 5yr old bolting for the door with little brother at his heels.... I try and think of something that they really wouldn't want to do indoors to motivate them to go outdoors if I can't get them out there under their own steam!