Do your children play on their own? Mine do not - aged 5 and 3 - and it is really beginning to get on my nerves.

[Oliveoil]

Constant, CONSTANT mithering and pestering

they have tons of toys, get lots of attention but I do not want to play with them all the feckin time

how can I get them to feck off and play on their own?

They follow me around when I am trying to get stuff done, when I am trying to have a conversation with dh - even when I bellow I AM TALKING!!!! they just wait 2 seconds and then say mummmmmmmmmmmmmmmeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeee

please help before I buy myself a shed with a lock on the door

MP I think I love you .

You are so right. It's been staring me in the face forever, but I have needed to hear that it's not a normal dynamic to "entertain" the little blighters morning till night.

The paper beckons

My big two play well together (well, as well as can be expected) and I hope DS3 will join in with their games soon. They do an irritating thing when I am on the PC though of standing right next to my right arm when I am trying to use the mouse and bumping/jiggling/pulling it. Same when I am writing.

Oliveoil - have you tried playing devil's advocate and nagging them to let you play? I'm sure they'd soon get sick of it; it's probably because they know you don't want to.