Parents of older children: if yuu had your Pre schooler back for one day what would you do? (Lighthearted feel good please)

[Thatbloomindog]

Inspired by the other thread about having a whole Pre children day to yourself. I’m asking those who are out of the small child trenches now, what they’d do with their pre schooler if they could have them back for a whole day.
My youngest starts school in September and gosh while I need the time to myself, I’m sure going to miss her and our carefree days pottering around together.

Mine is only 5 but is just finishing her first year in reception and I miss going places in the week with her without them being packed with bigger kids like in the summer holidays. We used to spend my day off in the week with her going on loads of adventures!

Lots of cuddles and kisses and their favourite books. The park, a cafe and a bath. Wrap them in a towel and hug them so tight. They were hard years in some ways but I look back on them with such affection.

A lovely walk down the prom with the buggy and maybe grab a Costa Coffee for while he plays on the playground then home to make our own flour playdoh with green colour and mint scent, read the Gruffolo then listen to him him giggle at the incomprehensible Abney and Teal.

He is 13 now and as tall as me and still precious times but it’s all way less stressful now.

This is an emotional thread!!! In a lovely way

I’d go back and have a slow walk pottering to the park - a bit of a play then to pick some blackberries. I remember them so clearly stuffing them in and making a mess of their clothes! Home for a picnic lunch in the garden then watch a bit of TV and just let them snooze on me rather than worrying about bad habits and getting them in their beds.

The ultimate treat for both my DC was ‘snowy tracks’ - a whole bag of value flour tipped on the table and they’d play for ages laughing and chatting away with their Thomas trains making tracks. So many made up stories and adventures with those trains. I still have the first train in my bedside drawer, a faded chipped Gordon, I can picture being in our old kitchen with them like it was yesterday……

Two teenage boys now who are head and shoulders taller than me, it’s gone so fast. They are equally as lovely now just in a different way

Aw this thread 🥲 am a little apprehensive about having my three year old over a lot of the summer whilst managing pregnancy but this reminds me how lucky I am to be in this stage.

We will do lots of the things suggested and I will try and remember when tired and patience is limited that I will miss these times in the future

This is a lovely read. I struggled massively with a newborn and a 2.5yr old through the Covid years. Feel so bitter about it now. The many lonely walks, no baby groups for DS, behaviour challenges for both of them adjusting to “the new normal”. Really gutted.
Had a lovely first 2.5 years with DD though and enjoying the end of preschool years now with DS. This thread has reminded me to make the most of them!

This thread makes my heart hurt. Hugs, lots of hugs. The bedtime stories we used to do, which were guaranteed to result in much hilarity, as I loved me doing silly voices. Making up little plays and stories with their cuddly toys. Acting out the Pirate Dinosaur stories, chasing them around and trying to turn them into children chipolatas by rolling them in blankets. Playing Numberjacks - they would choose the number characters, and I would be the Numbertaker and chase them around. Silly singing and dancing and making up silly songs and rhymes. Watching all their favourite shows with them over sofa picnics. More hugs.

Love my lovely teens, but goodness me, I wish I hadn't wished the pre-school days away as much as I did.

Take them for a nice sensible haircut, dress them in cute, cotton clothes (not the nasty nylon sportswear that is de rigeur for teens), go to the park, feed the ducks, look at books together and then put them to bed at 7pm and have a nice peaceful evening

This has brought tears to my eyes. She's so lucky!

I got to the 15:00 comments and couldn't take any more 😭. I miss them.

This is making me cry and I have a 2 and 4 year old. Been driving me mad all day 🥲 I'll try and appreciate it all more

I'm enjoying this thread, but it's making my eyes leak.
It really is the little things that are free, so making a daisy chain, collecting leaves in the autumn, jumping in puddles, having a picnic, snuggling up, smelling their heads, reading a story, singing songs and lots of cuddles.

Much as I’ve done today with my 17yo and 19yo, have a good old splash in the Mediterranean with our blow up pineapple. They don’t really change, bless them!

Painting, sticking, play dough, I never did this enough, with working full time it seemed too much of an effort and they did messy stuff at nursery. Make a den with blankets or boxes. Have a picnic. Enjoy reading their favourite stories at bedtime.

Dance around the living room, playing snap and losing every game, meander through the woods looking for wildlife and creepy crawlies. Go on a bus ride with a home made kite, answering all their questions on route. Spend a couple of hours flying the kite and a chippy tea on the way home. Long lovely bath, making hats out of the bubbles. Made up funny stories in bed with daft voices, lots of kisses on tips of noses and tightly tucked in. Stand at the bedroom door watching them sleep with not a care in the world.

this thread is so lovely! I’m pregnant with my second and have a 2 year old, this made me cry and realise how much I will miss these days! Stealing these ideas for days with DD ❤

The big thing I missed was the freedom to do things when it wasn’t as busy. So I’d go to whatever activity/museum/cafe/playground/woodland we loved that is normally overrun on the weekends/school holidays. Swimming was a big one for us, but there was also a great playground that she loved when older kids weren’t around, and some woods with a stream nearby.

what they’d do with their pre schooler if they could have them back for a whole day.

Have a full fridge of alcohol for when the day was over.

Thanks everyone for your memories.
obviously I’m in floods now, but it’s been so heart warming to hear about all these small children who have been and are so loved and have brought so much pleasure to their parents and families.
I’m off to make a toddler supper of picky bits like cheese and carrots and hummus, and then a bath and bedtime routine. And tonight I’ll not rush, or nag them to eat or moan about splashing, and I’ll read an extra story and lay with her until she’s asleep instead of trying to rush off to watch TV.
keep them coming, they are so lovely to read.

Have a tea party with all their teddies.

duplo.

make jam tarts.

play doctors.

go for a walk with them in the sling on my back and let them nod off.

Enjoy it but be relieved when done!

Oh I miss those days, have a teenager now.

lots and lots of hugs, tickles, making up stories with the little people toys. I’d watch as many “shows” and magic tricks as she wanted to perform and race around the house and garden plus dance together.

it was full on and I used to need some space but when it’s gone, it’s gone

Two teenage boys now who are head and shoulders taller than me, it’s gone so fast. They are equally as lovely now just in a different way

Very true. My girl is 18 now, exquisite and a lovely friend to me. Hopefully off to uni in September ... oh god!

🥺

Only one year out of the pre-school years (youngest is just coming to the end of reception 🥺), but would go to a forest-school type group in the morning, then home for lunch, TV and cuddles, then play with toys 😊

give them a hug and read them a story