AIBU to refuse to play "fairy doctors" for the millionth time?

[olivesandolives]

I'm a sahm, picked dd up from pre school and as soon as we get home she asks to play "fairy doctors". We've played this all week and I just can't do it, I offered alternatives, play doh, drawing, bricks, puzzles, anything but bloody fairy doctors! She got quite upset but I held my ground and now she's sulking.

I'm tired, her little brother starts the day at 5am and by Friday afternoon I'm done! I've now stuck the tv on.

She LOVES pretend play, but it is THE most draining game ever!

My brother always made me play burglaries. He broke into houses, stole things and put them into a pillowcase. I was the robber’s dog. All I had to do was follow him around on all fours. I couldn’t bark until we got home in case I woke up the people we were burgling. I was then given a biscuit to eat on a saucer.

That's hilarious!

My DB had cajoled me into playing Doctors and Nurses with a twist - we were in the US Army. We were basically playing MAS*H (years before it was made). I had to put on an American accent and everything - I was about four! I brought my precious doll (Janet since you ask) into triage and the Doctor decided she'd been shot in the eye. In trying to extract the "bullet" he managed to pull out her whole eye. His expression of utter horror remains with me 50 years on... she went to the Dolls' Hospital (no doubt to be treated by Nurse Nancy) with one beautiful blue eye and returned months later with two brown eyes

My mum played pretend games with me- and that was back when dinosaurs roamed the earth.

I'm crying with laughter! I've got this stage to come but I used to make my nan pretend to be a horse.

My dd used to pretend to be a basket of washing and I had to hang her up. We had a lovely holiday in Lanzarote and she pretended to be a geyser for quite a while. And she once spent a week as a flamingo.

My children this morning set up a day care centre, I overheard my oldest say to youngest ‘we’ve even got our own twitter account so parents can see what they do in class.’

When DS was in nursery all day at my workplace ( a great place , I worked at a university) , we used to do have to do a lot of train journeys/ commutes. Best game for home commute after along day I thought would be having a 'silent race' when we got on the train But no. DS soon cottoned on to that if he made me say something he would win.. I thought I would just be able to read and him colour or something NOpe, he would do everything to make me laugh, burrow up under my book. etc.. ) it was quite fun though actually, and some days we did make it home without either of us losing

Personally I love pretend play but we all enjoy different bits of parenthood and there's absolutely nothing wrong with that!! I think I was quite a late developer as a child and I was sad to have to leave pretend play behind, so having a DC has been an excuse for a walk down memory lane. On the other hand, baking with a preschooler always leaves me wanting to bake my own head, and don't get me started on the baby stage...

My dd used to pretend to be a basket of washing and I had to hang her up. We had a lovely holiday in Lanzarote and she pretended to be a geyser for quite a while. And she once spent a week as a flamingo.

Was she on glue?!

We have to play 'mums and kitties' here. I have no idea what the actual game is. It might not be that bad for all I know. We never get to that point though because all it seems to entail is DS and DD constantly saying "I'll be the mum and you can be the kitty". "oh, no. Wait. YOU can be the mum". "Ooooorrr, I'll be the mum". After approx a year of this, the game begins. I try and get in character. Am told that's not what I should do ("nooooo mummy! Not like that!!"). DD will dramatically tut at me. And then I am abandoned because I clearly don't understand the game and am just bringing the whole thing down.

Back in my day I just played "cash machines" and repeatedly posted bits of paper through a slot in a box to my mum on the other side.
Those were simpler times.

Ooh I remember this stage! I quite enjoyed all the imaginary play!

Three things op:

1. the way to handle this is to set a time limit with a timer. Agree with DD in advance that when the bell rings you can't play any more because you have to do X. Play enthusiastically for the set time. When the bell rings, promise you will play again tomorrow.

1. Keep in mind that your child in 10 yrs or so won't want to speak to you sometimes, never mind play with you

1. Think of the royalties your DC will be able to earn in future from her best selling novels with an imagination as fantastic as hers!

"You say this. Now you say this. No, say that." Aargh.

My DS says “pretend you say this.” So I took him at his word and pretended I had said whatever it was.

ARMAGEDDON I tell you...

“Was she on glue?!“
Very possibly. She certainly had a very.....psychedelic....imagination.
She also spent a week as a lemur, and made us pretend to be a family of pencils.

I love this thread I hated this kind of "mum pretend you're a horse and I'm a rabbit" stuff.

Pretend play is exactly why I had all my DC close together so they could (in theory) all play this kind of bollocks together and leave me free to lie on the sofa and read in peace...

In reality, I spent the whole time adjudicating disputes along the lines of
"muuuuuuum it's my turn to be the mummy monster" and
"muuuuuuuum she won't let me play it's not faaaaaiiiir " and
"muuuuuuuum he said he wants to be daddy lion but he was daddy lion last time and he needs to be a monster but he won't"

And now I have a house of teenagers who won't let me read in peace either -
"Muuuuuum she has taken my phone charger coz she's too lazy to get hers from upstairs it's so unfair" and
"Muuuuum he's been in the shower 25 minutes and I need to get my eyeliner, tell him" and
"Muuuum someone has taken my velvet crop top it was on my bed and now it's not there"

I think I'd rather play doctor fairies than listen to one more minute of this tonight

And when mine were little there weren't even any iPads or phones to keep them quiet (and I totally would have used them, I can still remember the tearful gratitude I felt at the start of CBeebies hour) I never judge any parent I see handing a toddler an iPhone

Reading this is making me feel perhaps I'm not cut out to be a good parent really

DD always wants to play doctors and I can never open my mouth wide enough for her. My jaw can get quite achy.

Awww I have 2 hulking grunty teen boys and a dd who only watches you tube, I’ll come and play fairy doctors for you 🧚‍♀️ 😁
I do recall with DS1 I had to make up a story every night about pirates, and if I missed a bit out he made me start again.

These are all making me laugh! I have had to play 'dinosaur park' with my 3 yo ds all afternoon..but i just have to watch intently...am not actuslly allowed to join in!!

I'm loving these! Nowhere near this stage yet with my LO but I'm looking forward to it with trepidation and excitement!

Endless games of “next door neighbours”

DD: Knock on my door and ask to come in
Me: Knock knock, can I come in?
DD: No!

Bertrand, I have to ask - how DOES one pretend to be a family of pencils? Roll everywhere?

I was quite lucky as DD had an imaginary friend who was apparently a much better person to play with than I was so I was usually rejected. And by the time the imaginary friend died in a car crash in Spain (!!) DS was old enough to be her loyal, unquestioning companion.

Very tickled by the idea of a child being made to be a cod.

I would also like to request more information on the woman who had to be a door.

Some of these are extremely heartwarming! Very sweet and funny stories!

DS is too young for this now but I am excited about the coming times / currently the only game he is really into is us crawling around his cot/him looking under the cot to see where I am and chasing me. So dialogue would be fantastic! Although I’ll miss this when it ends too ❤️

I'm a nanny and this is literally my job. Some days I do question why I do it.

The Minion Months stand out vividly in my memory. 3yr old who collected tiny minion figures from Despicable Me. We essentially played dolls' houses with them but could only talk using the words "bapple" "bello" and "popoi". I took a week off with stress and left mum to it. After 3 days she surrendered too and left it to Dad.

My current job involves The Kidnap Game. 5yr old is a princess/cat/world famous ballet dancer who is kidnapped by a witch/evil queen/stepmother and I am her sister sent to rescue her. I try but she tells me she cannot be rescued or the kidnapper will find us and hurt us so she must remain chained (she has usually tied herself to something). I spend 15mins hopelessly offering suggestions before I am suddenly cast as the evil kidnapper and the game starts again from the beginning. I dread the day the neighbours overhear me saying "you useless child! Clean that again!" as we play an own-brand Cinderella!

There is a script that I am taught line by line. But just to keep things exciting parts change half way through - either we swap or the story is suddenly told from the point of view of the hitherto unmentioned witch's cat!