To leave DC to their own devices this morning.....

[changeisasgoodas]

DC are 7 and 8. I'm a single mum and work full time in a stressful job. Im exhausted ( went to bed at 7.30pm with them last night .)

They woke up at 7am. I've been up and thrown cereal bars and fruit in their general direction and have been reading /dozing in bed ever since. They've been up and down the stairs to me, moaning about the WiFi going off ( think it's the terrible weather) and have been playing games on the tv and phone, playing together with their beanie boos, fighting, reading, etc. But I've done nothing with them.

I'm feeling really lazy and a shit mother. I'm planning on taking them out to their club later where they'll get plenty of physical exercise. But can someone please tell me INBU?

You need a lazy morning. They are fed watered safe and busy playing. You are just up the stairs. And they'll be out and about later too.
Get a cuppa and get back in bed for a bit.
You deserve it xxx

Sounds perfectly normal to me. But I never entertained my kids all the time.

I think just the fact you are worried enough about it to post on mumsnet shoes you’re a good mum who just needs some down time. Burn out is real and as long as your kids are fed, safe and happy it’s good for them to entertain themselves every now and again

Sweet Jesus you’re not being unreasonable.
You’re a knackered single mum. Ease up in the guilt.
My mum was a single mum and she still holds guilt from Saturday mornings when she used to do the cleaning and I was in front of the telly/reading books/playing by myself. But I bloody loved those mornings! Cartoons, pj’s and helping my mum. Was cracking in my eyes!

Your kids are fine, they’re fed, watered and entertained. Have a bloody rest!

My DCs are the same age and unstructured time alone is absolutely essential, when they're bored they do their most creative things or pick up a book. Stay in bed and leave them to it.

We also have an "I'm bored" jar full of ideas, when they whinge about being bored they get to pick a slip out and have to do whatever it says for 20 mins (set a timer).

Absolutely fine. My son is only 19 months but I am a single mum and work full time. He’s at nursery all week so mentally and physically entertained and I spend the weekend doing fun stuff, but weekday evenings are usually pick up at 5.30, home for a snack, cuddle on the sofa and straight to bed for him as I need time to decompress from work (and further work of an evening!) I feel shit about it but if I didn’t I’d be no good to anyone! I make it up to him at a weekend x

I'm sat in bed currently, reading a book. Same as you I've sorted breakfast and I'm keeping an ear out but I've had a full on week and if I don't rest now I won't have any energy for taking them to a club this afternoon and a tournament tomorrow.
Absolutely nothing wrong with the odd lazy morning as long as everyone is safe and happy.
My youngest son is loving the extra t.v time he normally doesn't get and eldest son is also enjoy a lie in!

They're safe, have access to food and you are home in case they need anything, sounds fine.

We do this nearly every Saturday morning

It is completely fine to do what you are doing. Self-care is so important. I wouldn't have even fed them - just left them to get their own breakfast!

I have low thyroid function at the moment and on top of a late night - I'm exhausted. I'm on the sofa reading/MNing/dozing while my 7yr old trashes the house!! She is very good at playing alone and getting herself food. Her older brother is in bed. I'm not even taking them anywhere today. I'll watch a film with them later and make them a nice dinner. I'll leave it til tomorrow to blitz the house.

Thank you all. I feel better now. I do firmly believe that unstructured time is good for their imagination, but I still feel I should be doing something with them! Don't know why as I remember as a child being left yo entertain myself and it was fine.

Your body is telling you it needs to rest ... YWBU to ignore it. You and your DC will benefit from you being healthy ... have the rest! x

On a weekend before I go to bed I leave my 8 yo breakfast stuff out so bowl, spoon, cereal etc on the table and when he gets up which is usually around 7am he gets gets his own breakfast and watches Netflix or plays on his tablet. I get up around 9ish and then we start the day, I think some responsibility and unstructured time for himself is essential to build confidence.

I leave mine to their own devices every weekend. They get up at 7 and I don’t want to.

I leave bowls and spoons on the table for them, there’s bread and jam and stuff for toast - they eat and mooch about until DH or I get up between 930-10.

In the interest of full disclosure mine are 11 and 8 but have been doing this for a while.

You actually don’t have to justify it. They’re perfectly capable.

My parents never entertained me or my siblings, they took us places if we had activities but the rest of the time we were left to our own devices, there were no computers, mobile phones or tablets and only 3 TV channels and me and everyone else of my generation and older have grown up to be perfectly normal adults.

When did having to entertain your children every minute of the day become a thing? My own children have also managed to thrive without me.

I thought doing this on Saturday morning was normal.

I also do it on Sunday mornings too 😁

I have a 3 week old who did not feel the need to sleep from 3am this morning... The toddler had woke 11pm till 2am unwell.
I had 1 hour sleep.
. Dh had work, I was here with byb, Toddler, dsd and my teen.
I bribed my teen a tenner not to go to football this morning ( not a team just a fun kick about thing) to give me 3 hours on bed if he stayed downstairs with dsd and toddler and did breakfast and kept entertained.
He had then downstairs from 8am till 12.
I had a prep machine upstairs and bottles etc for baby. But baby slept that time anyway.

I still feel shattered now.
I don't feel guilty either.

Byb is meant to be baby

Why on earth would you be being unreasonable?

OP, don't feel guilty about having acouple of hours out of the week to doze, recover, recharge, read, faff around on the internet or whatever. You're not leaving a baby unattended, you are leaving children old enough to read a book, turn the telly on, play games, have a chat, get up & dressed etc to entertain themselves in the morning. Everyone does it. Everyone needs it. Some people do it as 10-20 minutes a day to play phone games others take a couple of hours as a block to catch up on sleep. Go easy on yourself!

Ps. @Xiaoxiong - boredom jar idea sounds great! What sort of thing do the slips say?