...to make a rule of no food and drink in new outdoor playhouse?

[eisbaer]

I think I maybe am. Got it delivered this morning, just can't shake wanting to "keep it good". But think it's prob unrealistic and killjoy-parent-ish? Kids are1,4 and 6.

I think you probably are too. It will be nice for them to have their lunch in.

It ain't gonna be a funhouse if you keep that attitude, OP.

At least your own house will remain clean and tidy if you let them play in theirs.

And eat :)

Yeh am seeing that as I read my post! Need to declench.

but that's a big part of the fun!
maybe steer them away from smelly and sloppy foods as a compromise?

In the grand scheme of things they won't be playing in it for long. They really do grow up faster than you think.

Just chill and let them enjoy it.

drinks in sports bottles.. and no stuff like icecream etc.

win win .

Are you my daughter? She's just put a tree house/play house thing in the garden.

She's just rung to tell me the first game the children played, DS2 was a dog and they brought him raw meat from the butchers.

She went out later to find DS2 was now a person again, but seriously ill and was in bed with a sick bowl, accompanied by sounds of copious retching!!

As she suffers from emetophobia she found this very traumatic!!

I am sure she will try to enforce some rules to "keep it nice"; I wish her luck with that feral bunch!!

Think of how much cleaner YOUR house will be for them eating out there!

You sound slightly OCD (not being funny, literally).

If you saw my house you'd know I'm not OCD! I guess it's when sth so shiny and new arrives it looks so lovely, but I know there will come a time when I can have the house as clean and undamaged as I like and I won't care and will just feel sad that they're adults so I do try to keep in check any tendencies! They're now in there with ice poles, juice etc so have gaily abandoned my controlling ways, till the next time...

Sounds completely reasonable to me. When I was a kid, food and drink happened at the table and nowhere else, and that's what I'm intending to do until my kids are big enough not to make a mess. Given that I'm 32 and struggle not to make a mess, that should keep the rest of my house clean for the foreseeable.

kill joy.
Mind I felt same about my new car. For about an hour.

YANBU. Round here there are far too many cats and foxes (and I suspect rats, although haven't seen one myself yet) ready to pounce on the bin bag put out the night before the collection, I wouldn't want to run the risk of them being in the playhouse. That's before you start on lines of ants from sticky stuff on the floor.
I'd probably allow drinks with a lid and anything else would be banned.

RATS.

Get them their very own dustpan and brush to clean up after themselves.

Sorry crowler, but they reckon you are never more than a few yards from a rat

Fortunately they usually stick to the sewer and drainage pipes, but I wouldn't want to be doing anything to tempt them out.

I recently heard a program on Radio 4 debunking this. Not to the extent that you'd hope, though.

David Attenborough says that the only creature he's afraid of is rats, because of their sheer tenacity and fearlessness in the face of humans.

wont matter what you say, it'll sti end up a tip, I had to empty half a sandpit full of sand out ours on saturday...they were making pretend food!

Food = not an issue

Mud, sand, iron filings, MY metal crowbar ffs and broken paving slabs = an issue

what were they playing rooney, building sites?

oh dear maybe you should move it to make it your sanctuary it is a playhouse so they can play outside unclecnch a wee bit and let them use it to play in and if that means taking a drink or some food in then

I've no idea Polly but all the windows got shot through with arrows, too.

I wish I had sensible children.

Not a hope. Just make them tidy up and swear up any crumbs.

no, rooney imaginative and a bit feral is good...if a bit testing

Feral is right