Does anyone else hate weekends with their children???

[LMcmahon]

I hate weekends. Endless "im bored", constantly trying to come up with ideas to entertain them which usually ends up in tears.
Cannot ever just stay home because of the constant whining, im boreds and complaining, so we have to go out all day every day at the weekends, no matter the weather, we have to be out, in the rain, snow, whatever. Cannot just spend a day at home, enjoying time together in our home.
Its awful.
Is it just me? Is it just our family that cannot ever just enjoy relaxing together at the weekends?!
Its 9.30 in the morning and i am done. What can i do to get them to just enjoy life without everything being so difficult every minute of every day?!
They are 5 and 7

What do you do when you’re out? Do they do any structured activities like swimming lessons which wouldn’t require you to be so involved? Things we do are:

park / soft play if I’m really desperate 😅
visit a farm where we have a membership
movie afternoon/evening with nice snacks
our local library has crafts and Lego out on a Saturday
we also have a huge craft box at home. Not a fan of this generally cos it’s messy but it keeps them entertained

But I feel you, it’s a lot of time to fill and it can feel endless especially when they are complaining!

Can they not do anything at home that you can just supervise. Don't they like painting, drawing, make some play dough. Play pairs, games and puzzles.
Watch a film. My 4 even liked just putting music on and having a dance about. Make a den indoors.

Could have written this myself. My 20 month old got up at 5am this morning because of the clocks and I was willing the hours away until nap time as I'm shattered. Can't really go out either as my 5 year old has a temp and a cough!

I think this just gets easier when the children are older. Also if you have a partnership with your DP. My kids are 8 and 11 and no one was up early and they’ve been entertaining themselves for most of the morning. We’re quite strict on screen time so they do know how to occupy themselves without one.
i remember feeling the same when they were younger though! And the clocks changes used to fill me with dread…

I find if we are home I cannot sit down at all or they will start the whining. If I keep on the move, potter in the kitchen, clean, keep busy, they will start a game without me (mine are similar ages). They can't hit a moving target.

I will do one or two specific activities, or DH will play a board game or an activity.

I don't know if you have YouTube on the TV, but floor is lava type games on there can keep them entertained & active if you need it.

Ps solidarity. It is hard. I cried in the shower for 20 mins after bedtime last night.

When he was a baby, but now Ds is 5 years weekends are fairly relaxed tbh.

He likes to be active and doing stuff, but fine pottering around house with odd trips and chore in between.
This weekend we haven’t done anything fancy but he’s been busy:
Saturday - popped to flea market in morning for a wander, then supermarket, back by lunch time. After dh and I were gardening so Ds was just in garden with us helping, played in his mud and and kitchen etc. some games and toys later on
Sunday - was up at 5am with time change .. so we walked to bakery at 7am for pastries. Gel helped dh clear cellar and put up some shelves. Helped me make cookies. We drove to bike park for 30 mins ( then it started raining). And he’s just been pottering around with us since at home with diy bits, helping me prep dinner. He’s about to have early bath. Will probably watch a film after.

I mean he won’t just sit and play with toys all day, but can just come along to where we go. Obviously we have weekends with more child oriented stuff like swimming, zoo etc but that’s occasionally not every weekend otherwise it would cost a fortune and I would never get normal stuff done

Can you take them out? Or are there friends you can meet up with?

Try getting them into podcasts, books, comics.. things that you dont have to come up with.

Also i think boredom is good for them - if theyre bored thats not a poor reflection on you - thats ok..

I feel you this weekend. Normally I love to be on the go but we go on holiday tm and DD absolutely needs down time at home to decompress between school and going away. She’s been pretty happy pottering about but I’m a bit depressed by the nothingness.

I'm the opposite and look forward to planning trips out at the weekend with my dcs. We have something booked in for every weekend until the Christmas holidays! It's just how I am, before having dcs me and DH would be out going to the latest film, play or restaurant and now I like to check out the next new family-friendly shows or facilities.

I feel you! The extra hour today made it even longer! DW and I quite often do split shifts, one entertains DD before lunch and the other after. This way we have time for hobby/doom scrolling/food making. Looking forward to my quiet office!

Send them out with a ball

Children need to be bored to be creative filling time for them isn't good for development.
At the moment you respond by taking them out you have to ignore it a bit.....get a craft box or junk modelling box and tell them to get on with it or set them chores.

Honestly yes, I don’t enjoy weekends much although it is slowly getting a bit easier.

I have a (nearly) five year old who is actually a lovely boy but definitely needs exercise. If you have a day at home with him or to be honest just a few hours he just destroys things. He moves around constantly and just creates mess. If you’re outside he’s the happiest, loveliest kid ever but at home he just is a PITA,

We also have a two year old who is much more chilled by nature but also prone to clinginess and being a bit whingey. They are challenging in different ways. I could go to a trampoline park or soft play or nature trail or playground with DS and just let him go; I can’t with DD but I also can’t just chill at home with DD because of DS.

We have had lovely moments but relaxing they are not. I do long for a weekend ‘off’ but realistically I am a while off that, hoping it will come one day.

Sometimes I find the weekends to be more like being at work than actually being at work

With very little ones it is, no question.

Mine both started playing football for teams at 7 every weekend. Very lighthearted at first. They stuck with it. That killed ten years! 😆

A lot of "indoor" activities cost money though that lots don't have, it makes winter hard.

Time at home can be a slog at this age, if screen time helps then don't feel guilty about that, I always figured a few hours of extra screen time after being out all morning or whatever was worth it if it meant me keeping my sanity and being a nicer parent.

I swear people forget that young children need enrichment. You’ve had a tough week at work? Unlucky. You have children.

If it helps I work in a demographic where parents have put their needs first and continue to throughout school. You see it. So I may be more invested in this than I should be!

Just one 7 year old here our weekends include swimming Saturday morning / horse riding Sundays. We sometimes stop for a coffee / hot chocolate on the way back to extend the activity.

She probably then has a birthday party or event like school summer fair / Xmas fair etc once a month & I probably arrange a weekend play date once a month.

Sometimes we drag her out for a walk / National Trust place which she moans about but loves it once there.

We do homework.

She needs some down time and home and we do let her have screens but she’s very innocent and just watches horse / animal videos. And if I feel she’s had too long with a screen I take it away and she will occupy herself with crafts / drawing or things like Barbies.

She’s getting into playing games but cheats so I don’t like playing !

Also - DH and I always take one slot of time for ourselves each weekend to get out for a run etc which really helps!

lol I don't think acting as a court jester for a child for an entire weekend exactly nurtures a good character does it.

@frodss this made me laugh- I'd be an awful jester after 5 minutes 😆

‘’Tough tits kids - todays a house day. Half term next week so will probs be out and about a bit if you behave yourselves between now and then.
For today you have the telly, your toys, books and games.
Entertain yourselves guys and if you keep banging on it will be the same tomorrow until you find something to do and stop being heavy’’

Now bugger off as dad n I are cracking on with house bits and I have a bit of work to do this afternoon as Im off this week as you guys aren’t school
we can all have a game later after tea and you can all decide on a film’’

What happened to that sort of parenting??

Bored is good - THEY need to come
up with their own ideas.