Not to role play with my children?

[Tinseltower]

I don’t know why but I really really dislike playing. The type where you play with figures or cars etc or even mums and dads style playing. I’ll happily play other things with them like board games or hide and seek or do things with them like baking.

I feel guilty as by middle child always asks and I deflect him into something else or suggest something I like.

Am I harming them by not playing with them?

My mum didn’t like ‘playmg’ With me - she would do activities with me like craft or drawing, read to me, talk to me, take me places, in all respects she was a very loving and involved mother she just hated playing games.

I did imaginary games on my own or with friends. She did facilitate lots of ‘play dates’.

Most people don’t really enjoy playing make believe with their kids but you just have to suck it up and pretend you do.
Yes it’s boring but kids love and need this kind of interaction.
You don’t need to have creative input just put the stuff where your child wants it put and say the stuff they tell you to say.

How sad some of these posts are.

Oh for heaven's sake!

Most people don’t really enjoy playing make believe with their kids but you just have to suck it up and pretend you do

No, you don't.

Yes it’s boring but kids love and need this kind of interaction.

Which doesn't have to be with a parent.

YABU. Role play is important for children.
However that doesn't mean you have to do it all the time.

I did it a bit. I also found it boring. I left them to it as soon as I could decently get away.

I did other things instead. It is not obligatory to role play with kids. My children are incredibly creative and imaginative (this is a frank boast ).

Keep your pity for something pity worthy!

Yanbu!

Neither me or my oh can stand role play. It's boring. But clearly fun for the kids.

Whatever I'm doing with the kids needs to be interesting for me too otherwise it's not fun for them because I'm not joining in properly and they can tell my hearts not in it which makes it frustrating for them.

I've just been sat for the last hour avoiding role play and then I came up with an idea which I hope will help someone!

DD loves stories as well as role play, she also loves writing. So I took out a big scrap book I had lying around and we started to write a story. She told me the story, I helped by writing the story and making it into something that resembles and good reading story. Then I read the story back to her.

Gave her another piece of paper to draw illustrations to go with the story. Stuck the illustrations on a separate page. Now she has a new bedtime story.

The drawing keeps her entertained whilst I play with DS. DS also scribbled on some paper because he wanted to copy what she was doing.

I got to help her write her story which I found fun and allowed me to use my imagination in a way that wasn't mind numbing.

Hope this helps someone! Xx

I don't do it. Is this a modern thing? My parents didn't do this and I can't remember anyone else's when I was a child.

I like a separation between adults and children. I'm a parent not a friend and this is how children play with each other. As an adult, I like to model adult behaviour.

I did it loads with dd1 but dd1 now does it with dd2 so I don't have to!!

I am pretty rubbish at that sort of play. Mine are still 3 and 18 months. I also don’t think I am naturally maternal which I think makes it more difficult. My mum is like me and my MIL can play for hours with my kids doing all sorts of make believe role play and I admire her for this. I really can’t do it. I do play with them in short bursts and I like soft play and we do a lot of rough and tumble and I don’t mind building blocks etc. I also find it pretty boring. But that might be because mine are so young

I set up the scenario. So I’d they want to play shops I help them to set it up. I then leave them to it.

I don’t really like it but I tried to go along with it. DSD was only just still young enough for this kind of play when I first met her, so even though I found it a bit odd I suppose looking back I did at least have a little bit of time with her as a child.

I love it a bit more than I should. I'm 'That Parent' at Tiny Town (a local role playcentre) that probably looks like the biggest perfirmance parent ever, but I'm having a right laugh with my son and genuinely don;t give a shit what I look like to other people.

On the other hand, I loath taking him to the park. I take him because he enjoys the fresh air, and it's good for him to be physically active. But really, is there anything more deathly boring than pushing a toddler on the swings??

Everyone has preferences, I wouldn't worry about it. Between home and school/nursery they'll get pleantly of interaction and stimulation. If it's really bothering you, you can get early reader playscripts (the Biff, Chip ad Kipper ones are available fairly cheaply from The Book People), reading those together could be a good compromise. You wouldn't have to think up ideas to role play, and could all do daft voices etc.

I also hate imaginary play. I forced myself when my children were under 4ish because I felt it was important developmentally but then I stopped and I do other things with them (days out, board games, homework, reading etc). They play together a lot since DD2 got old enough so I don't think they're missing out.

If they have each other to play with I don't think you need to.

I didn't like cleaning up their sick or spending hours watching them do the same play over and over and over again, still had to do it.

'All the world's a stage' - and we are all just players etc etc. Just chill out and stop trying to be in control. A little role play is good for you!

As long as you give them your love, time and affection in other ways it doesn't matter! They aren't going to grow up deprived becuase you didn't play shops. They either or will have friends to play that stuff with. By modeling how adults act in day to day life you're already aiding role play plenty.

My Mum and did never did it with me, I'd of started stropping at them and making them leave the room. Play time was my time as a child, grownups didn't get it properly!

I think it is easier if you have kids around the same age-though my 2 year old dd would rather play cars and guns etc with her brothers then with dolls, but nothing wrong with that.
I'm not keen on the figure roll play etc as it mainly involves fights, and car crashing with mine. Though me and ds did have a Spider-Man vs captain America fight last week there's only so far it can go though once you have killed Spider-Man ten times by stamping on his head

Just to add captain America was stamping his head not me!

Yanbu op. I hate it Too because I'm also not creative or imaginative. I can manage a few minutes before I'm stuck .

thebumblebearbee I tend to start them off and show them how, then watch them do the rest. I've always thought that teaching my children independence and free thinking is important. If as a parent you're always hovering over them they never learn to problem solve on their own. I do bike rides, tree climbing, swimming, reading etc etc with them but have never felt the need to dress up as a pirate and chase them around the house

Oh dear. Never done this!
Clearly failed my very sporty, sociable, seemingly intelligent children. My dd plays for hours with her happyland/dolls/Lego and tells me to go away.
My dd 8 and ds 11 we're playing 'in the trenches' yesterday with their nurf guns!When ds has play dates they role play for hours.
I guess my mum never did with me, but I didn't turn out badly either!
I prefer to spend the time doing stuff I also enjoy.

I hate it too. Urgh it’s so boring. But I had to to role play to motivate DS to learn how to talk.

YANBU. There's no obligation to do everything your children want all of the time. Plenty of musts in parenting already! Any kind of interaction where they have your attention and you're talking to each other is great.