2.5yo DS obsessed with pretending games!

[lifesobeautiful]

My 2.5DS is totally obsessed with role play or 'pretending' games.

When he first started doing it I loved it. But now I find it totally exhausting!! It's partly because I've always played pretend game with him - ie: the carpet is a boat and that cushion is a crocodile etc.

But now from the moment he wakes up in the morning, he wants to do role play. "Be a dinosaur mummy, I'm a man". Or this morning, at 6am, 'Be Kung Fu Panda, I'm the leopard...'

He wants me to be a dinosaur/tiger/leopard/dragon while he chases me around being a viking/knight/hunter literally 24/7! It's all he wants to do and it's driving me mental!!

I just wish he could play on his own for a bit! He literally will barely let me sit down to have a cup of tea. In fact today after two hours of playing solid i said, mummy needs a little rest and have a cup of tea' and he ordered me to drink my tea standing up! I'm 8 months pregnant...so it's soooo tiring.

I don't want to stifle his imagination, of course, but is there a way I can encourage him to play on his own just a bit more? I'm happy to do it for a bit - but not all day. None of his little friends are interested in these games either - so after trying to coerce them into playing, whereupon they just stare at him blankly - he's back to badgering me to play!! HELP.

And if any of you live in south London and have a similar toddler - pleeeease can we meet up so they can play! I'm desperate!

He'll be old enough for preschool soon, have you signed him up for free hours?

My ds was like this but gradually as he got closer to 3, he became more independent (he's 3.6). Perhaps you need to tap into something which will occupy him. So for us it was taking DS into the garden, having a large tub of sand or water with some toys. Plus a watering can and little spades. He'd happily potter to his hearts content. Do you have a garden?

Oh THANK YOU CreatureRetorts - that's a good idea. Funnily enough we've just done up the garden today - ie got it ready for summer. And I've cleaned all his garden toys. I'll get some water out (he likes pretending his animals are at the watering hole) and perhaps send my husband to buy some sand.

Glad to hear there's hope!

He's at nursery two full days a week - and I think starts his vouchers thing in January? Born in October.

I'll let you know how it goes this afternoon!

My DD is the same age and loves role play games, but not as obsessed as your little man

It helps me that she plays with dolls and talks to them/feeds them/changes their nappy etc so I don't have to participate all the time.

Could you 'bring to life' some of his soft toys/figures and set them up in a game where they can join in rather than you? Maybe tea party with the toys etc

Good luck, and as everyone says about everything, I'm sure it's just a 'phase'

Good luck!

I have ds go to pre school five mornings - he doesn't get so tired and spreads it out (he gets holidays so not every week).

I live in SE London BTW but sadly I work otherwise would be interested in meeting!

My DS is 4 now and he has been doi this since he was about the same age as your son. I have to be Mary Jane Watson to his Spiderman or The Joker to his Batman from the moment he wakes up. He actually shouts MJ....MJ...MJ when he wakes up! I then have to speak in a phony American accent until he decides he has had enough or I can distract him.Very wearing. It is happening slightly less often now... I feel your main!

Pain obviously!

That's hilarious YearZero! Actually made me cry with laughter the bit about him shouting MJ and you having to speak in an American accent... although yes, painful!

Oh no...that means I could have another 18 months of this! SIGH.

Do you ever tell him no? I felt awful the other day because he was trying to get me to be Kung Fu Panda and do karate chops etc and say Hiiiii Yaaa! But it was 6pm, time for bath (and wine) and I just couldn't face it a moment longer - so I said NO darling, enough now. Then as I left the room I heard him say...'awwww, no hiiiya....' in a really plaintive little voice. Felt horrible!

CreatureRetorts and LittlePanda - good advice. He did love the garden today...although after about 20 minutes I had to be princess fiona from Shrek on this new raised bed bit (the tower)... And he did some quite good playing (on his own) with cuddly toys pretending to be different characters. So THANK YOU both!

maybe let him watch less tv so he doesn't know who the characters are?

20 mins is a great start! Next time take a cuppa out straight away. Also keep him occupied - get him gardening with you maybe?

I know CreatureRetorts! I'm not anti-TV, but I feel I've brought it on myself by letting him watch these Pixar movies with us (usually on Sunday mornings when I can't face getting up yet...). He never watches TV during the day though (in fact I wish he would occasionally! That sounds awful doesn't it!?) He couldn't be LESS intererested in Cbeebies or Channel 5 kids if he tried!.

Well in a fit of enthusiasm I've ordered a gardening set and sandpit for him from Argos which we're picking up this morning...fingers crossed! Thanks again!

Also CreatureRetorts, after your post was wondered if I should do the five days in the morning at pre-school instead of two full days...there's a little local school down the road that has a nursery. Will investigate!

PS - I've just put on a programme from catch-up for him - saw one called Dino Dan. He watches it for two minutes and shouts: 'You're Dino Dan! I'm the dinosaur! Roooooarrrrr!' That's it - no more TV!

lifeis, I do tell him no sometimes, it falls on deaf ears. But then I usually say I have to go and do the washing up or something and he forgets about it...sometimes. I had to be the Green Goblin for an hour or so today and do the voice...I wish I had never let on I could do the bloody voice! To be honest, although it is wearing, I think to myself he won't be little forever, so I play along with it. And I can't really blame it completely on the TV, he has only ever watched Spiderman a few times...he won't sit and watch it, he prefers to be it....I must be the only mother who wishes their kid would watch MORE TV, so I would get a break! He loves pretending ..that's about the top and bottom of it. Sigh...

YearZero - I've had to be Green Goblin today tooooo!! Honestly - i could have written your post! That's so funny. He'll watch about two minutes of a movie or programme (ie Spiderman) and then want to be it - like you say. I also wish my DS would watch more TV!! But yes, they're only this little once...Sometimes I even enjoy it, but half an hour is more than enough!

I know..I can cope for an hour or so then I'm like 'i want to be Mummy now', he's like 'noooo be MJ / the green goblin / whatever'. Ha ha. maybe we should set up a support group...

A support group - I'm in! Piece of advice....steer away from Power Rangers...I find I have to roar very loudly as the baddies...I actually have a slightly hoarse throat...

Yeah those bloody Nylocks. Lethal!

heheh!! This morning I was downstairs at 6am making samurai signs out of cardboard..