I've been told that life would be easier if I were more playful with my children, making daily tasks fun so they don't feel like a chore for anyone.
However, I'm not naturally playful. I've tried, really tried. Parenting isn't easy for me, but I don’t want my kids to feel that burden. So, I put in my best effort every day, though it leaves me drained when things don't go as planned.
For instance, start and end of the day transitions are tough. I’ve tried playful approaches—like saying the clothes are lonely or hungry—but they backfire. The kids run from the "clothes monster" or come up with ways to delay further at which point we've then used time and I get frustrated. I've made it a race, but that often ends in tears for the "loser." Trying to race the clock or beat the parent works briefly before they lose interest. Even breakfast involves silly games like pretending spoons are too heavy with porridge. It's tolerable when it works, but all too often I try and still fail. Maybe they sense I’m not enjoying it, but I don’t know how to change who I am to make it fun for me too.
How can I improve at being playful but still get things done? Personally I would love it if they just did the things and then we'd have time to play together. On the rare days that we zip through everything I try to make a big fuss of the additional time we have to play or read or whatever. But doesn't seem to make a difference to the majority of the days.
(Please don't say "not everything needs to be fun"—I agree. I wish they’d just listen and do things without a fuss, but when I approach life (or mn) like that I'm told I'm unrealistic and should be more playful. So my question is, how can you be playful while still getting stuff done?)