how much time a day do you spend actually playing with your children?

[NordicPrincess]

me? not nearly enough.

I cant help but really not enjoy it, its so tedious and makes me quite cross. I know that sounds awful

Do you actually play with your children or do you set up tasks for them to do?

How long do you spend a day?

Also yes i am looking for ideas or suggestions!

Oh thank goodness I'm not alone!!!!

I have 2 ds's and am 40 weeks pregnant, while i've never spent lots of time "playing" with the kids with their toys I have always put effort into spending time with them eg. cooking art and craft type projects. However, being hugely pregnant and exhausted haven't felt much like doing that kind of thing recently either. It doesn't help that my ds's have completely opposite interests so very rarely want to do the same thing, therefore, activites are always one to one.

It's really good to know i'm not a rubbish mum because I don't enjoy endless hours of junior scrabble!

Used to feel guilty about not playing with my DD enough, but someone once said to me, you are there to be her mother, not a playmate or an entertainer. Felt much better after that. I also adopted the benign neglect stance, working on the prinicple that as an only child with older parents, she will need a degree of independence when she grows up as she will not have a family support network (something else I feel guilty about). She is very happy playing alone. She is 11 now, loves having friends round but can also entertain herself.

Now she is older, we do enjoy playing cards together

I have a friend like that folly. She is lovely with dc and her children are delightful too

She genuinelyl ikes doing arts and crafts with children, playing with them, taking them to the swimming pool (about 6 dc at a time) etc. It must be wonderful to have a mum like that but I am totally different.

Too much. God I hate playing cars. You really don't realise until you have a child of your own just how bloody tedious playing can be.

I can be a very good monster when required for a game but have found I am mostly not needed or wanted all that much.

I try and organise 1 activity - at the moment we are doing a papier mache dragon for upcoming birthday party - each day when we are at home. Would you count that as playing?

I am needed for help with duplo building occaisionally. My DDs are 16months apart so are now (aged 2 and 3) able to play with each other. However, they do spend a lot of the day with me. Learning, cooking, housework, errands etc. I don't think that because i don't play with them they are neglected.

I think that you need a mix-someone who is constantly entertaining and amusing them is just as bad as someone who totally ignores them. They do need time alone, to use their imagination, cope with boredom and amuse themselves-it is a life skill.

Not enough. When I do have the mental space and energy to play with my 5 yr old he really benefits from it, though, so I know I should do more of it. But with working. studying and trying to keep the house from turning into a tip, it's hard to fit it in,. Sounds terrible saying that out loud.

Easier with 2 yr old, as everything can be turned into a game (getting dressed, bath time etc).

to be honest, DH is better at proper 'play' and at things like board games etc.

I don't know, actually. Some days, hardly at all (like yesterday, when I was so tired I could hardly see straight), other days somewhat more. It goes in phases too- a few weeks ago we were playing Monkey Coconuts a lot (it's a bit like Hungry Hippos), before that it was endless setting-up of complicated train tracks.

We do go out at least once a day though, even if just to the shops, and do chasing, tickling, running round and round and round the same tree- that kind of thing. I play pretend making of drinks in the bath, he 'helps' with some cooking and housework etc. Occasionally we do painting/sticking and whatnot.

But it will still probably only add up to about an hour or half hour everyday. I don't have the patience for more than that.

Oh and when ds1 was smaller, about 7 to about 9, I seemed to play bloody Monopoly every day after school.

I now hate Monopoly with a ferocious passion and refuse to play it at all.