My children want to do 'nothing'

[pupchewsleg]

It's an amazing sunny day. We are all at home with no plans. Over breakfast DH and I try to enthuse our children with some options for the day.
Suggestions include Caving, Rock climbing, beach, woods, firelighting, long walk, canoeing cycle ride.
DS1 and DS2 (10 and 9) would like to do 'nothing'. They would prefer to play on screens but if that's not on the would like to stay at home, play on trampoline, at a push go to the park.
Any one else's kids the same?
They have so much opportunities and apparently its all boring.
We are going out (under protest).

Maybe this is their reaction to being overscheduled at other times. I know you say they had a day of (mostly) doing nothing yesterday but it can take a good few days of doing nothing to undo the busy-ness of their daily lives. Just school alone is packed full of scheduled things to do with no time to chill or stare into space when a person feels the need for it. If they do afterschool and weekend activities then that cuts into their free time even more.

Here's an article from a mum who had similar frustration: selfsufficientkids.com/kids-doing-nothing-free-time/

Surely any child would enjoy firelighting, but I suspect it is a heavily organised, super safety-conscious activity; unlike the fun we used to have in times gone by!

I gave my 5 and 3 year old the choice of doign anything they wanted today. Anything at all.
They wnated to go to the playground. Not the one nearest to us, you understand. Another one...5 minutes up the road.
Then they want to eat chips. I'm rolling with it.

We're back. All went reasonable well although mini golf was a bit overgrown. We managed fish and chips for lunch at the beach.
I do think they got more out of going than not, but a little bit of enthusiasm for leaving the house at all would make life easier.
Re: Firelighting. DS2 has a new flint and steel type thing. I thought he could have built a campfire on the beach and tried to light it without matches or a lighter. Maybe he can have a go in the garden instead.
Hope you are all having a good bank holiday Sunday.

I must have looked very ungrateful and boring as a child because my parents would take me all over the world and I fully hated every minute of it. I just felt like I was being dragged from place to place in 100 degrees heat with no volition to look at stuff someone else was interested in.
As an adult I love travelling.
I think its hard to remember how it feels to be a child and have so little control over your life. Your life is filled with regimented stuff like school things and stuff your parents just decide you should want to do.
It might seem fun to do something structured if you are an adult and you have been at work all week and it something you have chosen.
But for many kids I think sometimes theyd rather just be left completely alone.

Pup if you tear up cotton wool and add Vaseline for the best results you can light that with flint and steel.

OP, I deduce that you are a morning person. All bright, energetic and ready to go, first thing. Are you sure both your DSs are too?

I am not and, if you want enthusiam in the morning, especially for a 'big' activity, you would need to tell me about it, at latest, the day before.

Glad you had a good day op. Sounds like you managed a nice compromise! It's tough as they get older and more opinionated. I certainly miss the days when you could just pile them in the car and take them anywhere!

My dd1 was like this. She was just a homebird. She liked to read and bimble about at home doing a spot of craft or baking or just playing with her toys and generally chilling out after a week at school. I was the same. Still am actually. We both found the incessant socialising all week exhausting.

maybe just personality related? I like different activities to dh and kids.

You solved it for yourself on P1, OP

I am sure if they were going with their friends they would be a lot more interested.

dd2 spent about 4 hours 'doing nothing' in the park, yesterday. But she did it with her friend. I absolutely wouldn't expect her to want to do it with me, her mother.
Whilst they are still as young as yours though, you need to sometimes just tell them. "We're going out tomorrow for a picnic and some time away from screens - do you prefer X or Y?" rather than "Do you want to x, y, z, a, b, c, d, e, f, etc?", to which the answer 'no' is an option. You have to give a choice, but not include 'no' in that choice.