Does everyone without kids actively engage more with children or do I need to up my parenting?

[PeachesoutinGeorgia]

Sorry to post so much recently, I’m such a worrier.

We’re on a family holiday at the moment and my sons the only child here, no one else has kids yet. I can’t help but notice the way everyone is so involved with him and I’m so so grateful but it’s honestly making me feel like a pretty shit mum at the same time.

They wouldn’t be able to be this caring and playful if they had him all the time right? …. Right? 😫 Or am I genuinely the worlds worst mum.

Playing with someone else's child is very different to your own. With someone else's, it's "oh fun, snakes and ladders, I'm going to beat you!", all bants and laughs.

With your own, even something like that becomes "oh great, snakes and ladders, that'll be good practise at taking turns, oh and counting, right let's work on those, and that laundry, wonder if I can get it folded while we play so I don't have to later, and when did he last eat are we heading into a hangry meltdown if the dice aren't kind?". There's no relaxing.