Our mums

[landjsmum]

Hello. I just wondered if anyone can remember their own mum playing with them when they were young? I can't really recall my mum spending time with me and my husband can't either. We don't want to ask them because it might upset them that we can't remember!

Recently my grandma was telling me how she remembered that on weekends my mum would come home and spend them making dolls and things for me, meanwhile i'd be chatting to the person doing the cooking. This really struck of as odd as she was away all week and i remember missing her and crying when she left. I do remember however my dad singing and playing the guitar for me at bedtime, still a memory that makes me happy.

Nope-she was mentally ill and admitted for two of my childhood years. I remember playing on my own a lot and I remember playing with my dad and with my gorgeous great aunt.

Not at all, my mother cleaned 'in her set routine' while my father worked hard. Funny we discuss this point with my brothers 50+ now and we werent taken anywhere. Day trips???? never, fun times not really prob why I'm quite independant and happy to amuse myself.

Father now passed away, but mum hasnt changed, makes very little effort with the grandchildren, unless we go there! Never has them, takes them out, pops in sooo set in her selffish ways!

My memories are of great grandparents who had something about them - they had lust for life and took us places - even the railway junction was soo exciting. Dad was pratical so remember making stuff. As for mum, nothing really.

So many things have changed now, we didnt have much money, no tax credits, mums role was to cook from scratch and keep a tidy house while dad was the bread winner, hardly any money fo entertaining. We had a normalish childhood but not much fun within the family quiet strict and straight- we lived on a new estate in the 70's and we were out playing with our friends most of the time. I think its incrediably sad that there are no great memories of the family unit.

Strangly enough, its me who does the cleaning, cooking, entertaining, taking them places, organising, day trips, shopping etc while my hubby works hard. I think my role as mother is a lot stronger than my own mums effort!

Thanks for all your comments. Glad it's not just me and dh that can't remember.

Me neither. She was always around while DS and I played, and I remember talking to her about everything all of the time I wasn't reading or playing with my brother, but I don't really remember playing with her. I do remember all the books she read to us in the evneings on holiday though - loved it. :)

Not playing as such but she was always doing things with me. Taking me swimming or to the park or for walks looking at plants and wildlife. When we were at home she was usually doing some craft activity with me or reading to me. She used to read to me for hours on end and we'd watch videos snuggled up on the sofa. She wasn't especially interested in housework and I was an only child. We are still very close and try to meet up a couple of times a week.

I'm a 70s child and both my parents worked full time (mum went back to work when I was 5), but I have lots of memories of doing stuff (park, playground, board games, reading aloud) with both my parents and always felt incredibly well loved. Not sure how they managed it really!

No playing, but we were always going somewhere. My mum was on her own so probably quite bored with two small girls to entertain. We went to the library lots, because we had no tv, and ran around the botanic gardens for hours. She used to walk us in and out of town, we never got the bus. And we played out lots.
We did lots of crafts, and spent hours painting but can only remember her helping us once.
I was born in 86 so not that long ago.

I can't remember any proper playing, but we did do a lot of arty stuff and cooking. She taught me how to iron, took us to various sports/The library etc. But she was ill for almost all of my childhood and I honestly think she did all she could.

feedthegoat your mum sounds fantastic

I think she did more talking, reading to me and getting me involved in what she was doing than sitting down deliberately to play a game with me. She took me to the library, the park, out for walks and what-have-you, we spent loads of good time together, but playing isn't the word I'd use. I'm sure she did play with me, especially when I was tiny! But I was quite solitary in my games anyway, especially as I got past toddlerhood - I'd hole up with some tiny dolls and play out an elaborate scenario with them, and I wouldn't really want anyone else chipping in.

I'm a bit the same with my 2 year old, I think. We talk loads, I read to her a lot, we cook together, do drawing together, go for walks and spot plants. Sometimes I do get down and build a tower of bricks or do silly voices with her stuffed toys, but that's not the bulk of what I do with her. She is getting into playing rough-and-tumble now, which is huge fun and we do that a lot on the beanbag or the big double bed. She likes me to lie down so that she can climb onto me and then dramatically fall off again.

I seem to remember more just doing stuff while my mum did stuff, so I had a bit of garden that was mine and we would "garden" together (I grew nasturtiums and strawberries but mainly played in the mud).

I do remember pretending to travel around the world and she would leave me little letters saying hello and that I should be careful of crocodiles etc. She also used to leave me little notes in flowers pretending to be from the flower fairies (I still have them).

We used to go to my grans once a week and go past a farm or to the swings.

Library, to the shops, swimming once a week.

Mainly I remember playing in the garden, making up exciting stories in my head, imagining I could jump up and land on clouds etc.

Low key but great childhood which is kind of what I am trying to replicate a bit with DS.

Some of the mums here sound so extraordinary.

Mine didn't play either. I had siblings and friends for playing with so didn't think it was strange. She did take us places, like the library, parks, swimming, seashore, etc. She'd chat to the other parents or sit nearby while we ran about.

This is a nice thread, I don't think I'd given my mother enough credit as my teenage years were tough and that left me with a resentful attitude towards my parents.

No, I can't remember anything other than 'you should be outside on a nice day like this' I played with my brother mainly. We did lots of castle visiting and National Trust stuff, and very long walks down the canal though.

DB dropped the bombshell when he last visited that he can't remember a single family holiday. We had one every year, and there are a bajillion slides to prove it. My two had better remember their holidays.

I remember playing board games with my mum quite often. But not other types of playing together e.g. with toys.

My mum played with us all the time the house was a tip but we had fun i'm a late 80's baby

Not playing no. (But then I don't remember much before about 5.)

I do remember her reading and doing maths with me (my gran too), and talking and lots and lots of hugs.

I didn't play with my sister as she was much younger. Not sure who I played with tbh until I had school friends I think I read a lot. Maybe my mum did play with me and I just don't remember it.

My mum worked in the evenings but would play with me. We'd play with my dolls and she'd make them all have different voices. When we were in the car, we used to create a story together (always same characters, different adventures). We didn't play together as much after my sister was born (when I was 8) but I had some firm friends by then. Happy memories even though she wasn't around much with work

Must add- our house was a tip too!

On holiday we played board and card games. Otherwise I only remember playful moments like being wrapped in a towel after bath and doing 'ride a cock horse' on her knee, that sort of thing.

You didn't ask about Dads. I remember my Dad doing acrobatic gymnastics with us, things like him on his back with both legs raised and us balancing on his feet with our tummies, sometimes ending in wrestling and tickling.

God, no - absolutely never.
Mum is very traditional, Irish, catholic working-class. She never worked and days were spent cleaning the house from top to bottom. All day. Every day.

Dad would play with us at weekends though.

I don't remember 'playing' but I do remember the wonderful washing machine, the fun to be had with cakes and cooking, sitting reading, sewing, knitting, crocheting, crafting, sticking and drawing. That was just as good, if not better.

We must have gone to the library a lot, and the attached museum, because I remember being there, trips to the park and the beach. If that's not playing I don't know what is!

I do. Not every second of the day, but lots of happy memories of playing with me and my sisters. Games, crafts, baking, toys - anything she could think of.

I was a late seventies child and my mum worked but I do remember me and my brother crying because she told us that the play dough she was cooking up was soup for lunch - and we believed her. She was a rubbish cook! But she was great at doing day trips and little adventures and I really hope to carry that on with my two boys.

I have more memories of playing with my brother and by myself in my room but there were lots of family board games. My mum would send me to get my dad who hated playing of any sort and had to be forced into games by mum.