why dont my children play with their toys??? SCREAM

[nailpolish]

they loll around the house "im bored what can i do" whine whine

i say "ok lets do a puzzle or play connect 4" or whatever

"no thats dull"

they have barbie, a farmyard, lots of puzzles, dolls. baby annabel, playdough, stickers, etc but all they want is "i want to watch tom and jerry"

SCREAM SCREAM SCREAM

we just made biscuits there today and it descended into arguing over who got the heart cutter and who got the star shape one. cue flour being thrown all over the cat, cat screaming as dd2 tried to rescue her and strangled her in process

it gets me down

I do know what you mean. Mine have just started this (they are 19 months and 3.5) and I feel like its going to be a looooong winter. The only thing that disctacts them from their whinging, loafing around and clinging to my legs, is fighting each other for some toy that neither really wants. It gets me down too.

or "im bored what can i eat"

ARGH

My kids don't actually know the b word (yet), they just go "eeerrrrrrrr" and cling onto me. And they ask to watch Madagasgar, and I say "no, but you can play with the trains" and then DD starts flapping and going "no, no, eeeeyyyeerrrrr". It makes me feel expolsive.

yes i want to explode too

Can you put them outside? Or go to the park? Or let them paint (one of the only things that stops the whinging here)? I'm about to wake DS and go to a friend's house for tea...must go actually. Good luck with the afternoon.

Astro

thanks astro

i do end up taking them out of the house usually - we ahve zoo passes and there is a free soft play nearby - outside is a no no today cos its freeeeezing and v windy - freezing wind that goes right through you - PLUS - i dont feel like going out today - i want to stay in for a change - im going to work in a while so i want to stay in and chill
why cant i just stay in and they play wiht their toys? i get them out and they arent interested

god its so frustrating. i feel like chukcing the barbie baby annable farmyard etc in the bin

or giving it away to some grateful child (thats my latest threat)

my kids play 'trash the playhouse'

they hit it with their play mop and bucket and send the small characters with their tiny household implements cascading over the carpet

they throw the puppets on the floor rather than creating charming tableaux

only thing that the ghoulish little fecks do actually play at is 'poorly babies who have just been sick'

Good solution - get them to sort through and sell lots of toys 'that are boring', would this make them discover just how 'wonderful' those toys are or how 'they do play with that'?!

they are fighting again

ive had enough

stick them all in attic (kids optional)

bring down one toy after 1 hour's complaining

Get the bin bags out and bag the toys up now

ive made a tent in the bedroom with quilt and chairs

sigh

this is hard work isnt it

if it makes you feel any better I lost control of my kids completely in Booths supermarket (is Waitrose for North West of England)

dd2 rammed an employee with a mini-trolley causing her untold pain while I was shouting at dd1 for trying to purchase 48 bags of crisps

I stormed out of the store with dd2 under my arm in manner of rugby ball, screaming at her with all store looking at me, leaving dd1 standing in aisle perplexed

returned with bawling dd2 packed into trolley with seat; was so scary that another shopper quietly took away first trolley

employee lady standing by tins rubbing backside ruefully

continued harpy lady act screaming at small tearstained toddler 'SAY SORRY TO THE LADY YOU HURT HER!!' etc

was quite a scene to behold

oh good for you Capp

soemtimes its the only way

you know that woman who lies on the floor screaming in the ailse on the ad? i did that (in the house, mind) and dds stared at me til their eyes dried up

what i want to know is - am i shit parent for having children who dont seem to know how to play wiht dolls/farmyards/etc? have i not been getting down on the floor and playing with them enough?

they could both do 20 piece puzzle by 18mths or thereabouts

but i feel like ive done it all wrong (parenting)

oh you made me about weighing individual grapes

shall have that up sleeve for later date

yes nailpolish I know the feeling

putting the Barbies away that dd1 says she has grown out of today reminded me that I was always going to get down on the floor and play with the Barbies

but look, we kept them alive and they are still in one piece at the end of the evening and they smile sometimes

which are really the only necessary things

im glad its not just my children

i also feel they hardly have any toys - go to friends houses and you cant get the door open for the mountain of toys

but we dont have wads of cash so i buy toys carefully

well no point if they're not gonna play with them

the more toys the less they play with them ime

I bet Polly Pocket gets a lot more attention now that the Barbies have all gone in a box

when did they start palying iwht barbies, capp?

oh fuck im going ot explode

i ve had the day from hell now shortly i have to go and do a 13 hour shift

great

the other week ds2 and dd were 'playing' quietly in hisroom so i left them to it, as you do. 5 mins later and i went in and they were "playing puzzles mummy".

so what do you think that entailed? thats right, upending box upon box of bloody puzzles over the floor in a heap then jumping in them and kicking and throwing them as one might piles of autumnal leaves. about 10 boxes there were, each with 2-4 puzzles a box. god was i the little buggers.

naily dd1 hasn't ever really

she thought she liked them but she never played with them

that sounds familiar capp

i think dd1 just sees them on tely/in shops/at friends etc

but she doesnt seem to know how to play with them

am i being weird