Busy vs Lazy weekends

[Imabadmummy]

I am sure I have seen post about this but really can't find them now.

Kids both knackered after a long week at school. Me & husband also tired after a long week of work.

I really don't wanna "do" anything at the weekend, maybe a bit of batch cooking & cleaning, but I feel like we should go out even if it's just to the park for an hour to get the kids out.

AIBU to expect the kids to stay in all weekend & play (they could play in the garden if they wanted) just so I don't have to go out?

Kids are 4 & 5. Eldest would watch TV 24/7 if we let him, youngest is happy to get all the toys we own out & play.
Eldest does ask if we can go out somewhere, which is annoying as often on a Fri we have tears as he's tired & doesn't want to go to school! (He sleeps great at night so that's not the issue!)

Can't help but feel lazy and like I'm not setting a great example for the kids!

[longestlurkerever]

Kids do get tired after a school week ime. There are different types of tired though. They normally have physical energy to burn off.

[HeCantBeSerious]

My (night owl) 8 and 6 year olds are out of the house from 8am till 5:30-6/8pm every weekday. We're all bloody knackered by Saturday and need to recharge our batteries. If it rolls into Sunday too then so be it.

[SheepyFun]

You know your children. For me, DD's behaviour in general is much better if she can run around outside for a bit every day. So I'm making my life easier by facilitating that! She's 4, but not yet at school. Your children may not need that, in which case a lazy weekend sounds great.

[early30smum]

It's a totally personal thing. My two would go stir crazy if we literally didn't leave the house all weekend but I agree kids need down time too. I do think getting some exercise/fresh air is a good idea every day so I'd probably take them out for an hour or so to a park or whatever. But one lazy day is not going to hurt anyone! 2 days might be a bit much. My two do an activity on Saturday morning but Sundays are quieter.

[haveacupoftea]

I used to stay with my grandparents at the weekends. I used to love Saturday mornings in pjs watching TV, afternoons walking the dog, helping with housework and baking, and evenings eating dinner and chilling out. I really don't see the harm in not doing loads of activities all the time.

[Badders123]

Depends on the child and age of the child
Pre schoolers really do meed the opportunity to get our every day imo
My kids are older now and I find that after a week at school and their extra activities they need downtime at the weekend and if course homework needs to be done.
It gets annoying sometimes but eldest does a lot of sport and he needs to chill out on a Saturday.

[ssd]

go easy on yourself op

[Couchtofivek]

Where I am it's a lovely day so we're going out to the park kicking footballs. I find the winters long so given we've no choice to get out and do that on many weekends, I grab dry weather with both hands.

[Notso]

I don't see a problem in having a weekend in but I could happily stay in all week too. We usually just see what's going on with the kids and DH's work and plan around that.
Today 16yo is out with a friend then working then going to a party until god knows when.
12yo is out with friends for swimming town and lunch friend is coming back here.
6yo is on a trip with Beavers.
5 yo has a friend over will prob go to the park with them after lunch.
DH is working until 1:30 then going to the football at 3.
I'm mooching around loosely supervising the 5 year old and his friend. I'll prob be up until the 16yo gets home so need a bit of a lazy day or I'll be knackered.
No plans for tomorrow.

[2ducks2ducklings]

I often have this internal struggle.
Me and my husband work full time and the kids, obviously, are at school during the week.
My facebook feed is full of photos of families going to the park/museum/for a walk etc. so I feel guilty that we are still in our pjs at 12.40 on a Saturday afternoon. But we're all knackered. My kids ask for pj days and my 11year old daughter has to be pulled from her bed most weekend mornings. We just enjoy being at home doing nothing until the weekly battle that is homework time commences with my son!
Having said that, I am going to force them to go for a walk with me later, we'll end up with rickets if we don't get some sunlight soon.

[Imabadmummy]

Showmepotatosalad I agree, I never "did" things as a kid. Though most of my weekends were spent at my grans. We played cards & warched TV and I played with the kids on her street. She was elderly and couldn't walk far but I would rather be there than at home lol.

Even school hols were spent playing out and we didn't go far.

Trills - I like tat response 😀

We can't actually do anything Sundays as I work from home all day - I don't work Mondays instead but look after my nephew so really only have Saturdays off.

[StarlingMurderation]

From five or six, I was playing out with my friends at the weekend, but I'd also go shopping with my mum on Saturday morning, and maybe stop off at the library, which might mean spending Saturday afternoon reading if I'd found some good books. We very very rarely went out to do organised fun - no classes, no groups, no activities. We didn't go to stately homes etc very often either. I don't know if that's because we weren't very well off, or because I was a child of the seventies and eighties! Only one friend had an activity at the weekend - she went horse riding Saturday mornings, and that was completely out of the questions for me (money). The rest of us were basically feral, especially in summer when we'd only come home for meals.

[honeylulu]

I'm green with envy at those whose kids want pyjama days. Mine get terrible cabin fever and practically climb the walls if they have to stay in for just a few hours! They ate like big labradors who have to be walked twice a day.
We don't do all special outings and activities though. This morning I've taken my youngest with me into town to get a birthday present for one of my friends for example. Might be a trip to park this afternoon.

[longestlurkerever]

I suppose we did play out more as kids though. There aren't any kids out on our street so unless the kids next door are in the garden it's either play totally self sufficiently or rely on me to facilitate some entertainment/playmates.

[Crunchymum]

This time of year we have at least one PJ day a week.

My 4yo is in full time preschool (mand has been since he was 3 due to a full time opening, this is his second year on preschool)

My 2yo is out the house 8.30am-5.30pm 3 days per week so it's a pretty full on schedule considering they are pretty young.

The older child loves lazy days, the younger one needs a good run about after a day in.

[StarlingMurderation]

Those of you with kids that go stir crazy - would you go stir crazy too, if you had to stay in for a weekend? Did you take your babies out every day when they were tiny or when they were toddlers? Would you say you're an extrovert?

I don't get stir crazy at all, and DS doesn't seem to mind a day in, as long as he's got plenty to do... Wondering if my homebody-ness has been inherited, or if he'll want more outings as he grows older - he's only just turned 2.

[longestlurkerever]

Good question Starling. You're probably right, I would a bit, and I probably am an extrovert, though teenage me would have been amazed to be told this. On the other hand if it was a sunny day and I had peace and quiet to read a book in the garden, or even if I had a project to do in the house eg decorating that could be done without interruption i might not feel quite so cooped up. When the kids get bored they get hyper and start constantly mithering for snacks, etc or squabbling. It tends to be quite a sudden switch from playing happily to not. That's what makes me say "right - we are going out" and I feel really stressed and claustrophobic until we leave.

[Whydidwedoit4times]

I never remember my parents planning any activities for us any weekend. We played out and they did DIY or cleaning or watched TV. Kids organised their own leisure time from 5 onwards. That was 1970s.

Love a quiet weekend now but ours almost grown up but when little we needed to get them out at least once for a good airing and they were better for it.

Summer days were generally spent in the garden all day.

[longestlurkerever]

PS starling, yes, it was the same when they were toddlers (dd2 still is) . In fact more so, though dd2 is generally less hyperactive than dd1 was

[honeylulu]

Starling yes, despite my moaning about my stir crazy kids I would also hate to stay in the whole day (unless I'm ill). I work at home one day a week and I have to go for a 15 minute run around the block at lunchtime or I feel all twitchy and brain- foggy. I guess it is probably genetic.

[longestlurkerever]

Having said all this we have so far been in all day. Dd2 took ages to settle for her nap and although I really want to go to the park before it gets dark I can't quite bring myself to wake her up.

[HeCantBeSerious]

I'm massively extrovert but need at least one day a week where I don't leave the house.

[teacher54321]

Ds is nearly 5 and we always go out unless he's poorly, he wakes up really early and the days are looooooong if we don't go out! We all get cabin fever, and I hate how messy the house gets when we just stay at home. Activities can be as mundane as going to the park round the corner for an hour or nipping into the local town centre for a costa. I like having a mixture of plans with others and free time at the weekend so we can do our own thing. Sunday afternoons are pretty sacred for Ds and I to have a film and popcorn whilst DH cooks a roast dinner.

[PlayOnWurtz]

Nothing wrong with a down time day! We reserve Sunday for exactly this purpose. Kids need to learn how to relax in this day and age everyone is busy busy busy and no time for the self. It's an important skill to learn