Do you play with your lo's....

[longhardlookinthemirror]

and do you find it as boring as I do?

I feel really guilty that I have to FORCE myself to sit on the floor and play with dc's.

I used to, but don't so much now. We do lots of things together as a family now they are a little older 5, 6,9.

I do. Dd does not play alone although I keep trying to manouvre her into it. I also feel very guilty that sometimes I feel I will go TOTALLY BONKERS if I play one more game of princesses/doctors/whatever. But that's just how it is. I'm not 3 and I find it mind-nubingly tedious after an hour or two (or less... )

I make sure we go out for part of the day (most of it if possible) usually to/with friends with other tots. My other treat is to have radio 4 on in the background but it can be very hard to follow anything

"An hour or two"??????????????

I tend to play for 5 minutes then leg it once they are 'into' it and it's 'safe.'

That's bad when I write it down.

Yes but I only have one dd - there's no 'they' unless i'm in it! I'd leg it I could - but she'd be attached to my leg...

I always hated "playing". Mine are more grown up now (13 & 8) but I always found it totally boring and would rather have sawn my leg off with a spoon than play "make believe" games.

I'm ok with lego though - I'm frequently the only one left playing with it though!

Drama, reading, singing, dancing, chasing (occasionally) YES. Hate all elaborate games/play which involve small figures, lego, duplo, cards, colouring, dolls, balls, trains. Leave them to it, and they seem to create elaborate fantasy games which luckily do not involve me. Their favourite Mummy game is I have to to pretend they are rocks, sit on them, only to discover they are ALIVE... Dh is not the master of slapstick comedy that I am, but is happy to do lego, trains, puzzles and the dreaded ludo.

I don't do imaginative game as such these day - so no Barbie, Sylvanian Families, play schools, etc. 6y DD does that with friends o by herself.

I do play board games and computer games with DD, we sew, read, dance and sing, do craft, cook, etc though.

When DD was younger (pre school and below) I indulged her in play a lot more.

anyone else end up being cast as several supporting characters while child has starring role?

am getting mighty bored of applauding.

I don't really play with them a lot as such, but we do a lot of things together. We walk a lot and talk a lot, but I feel like I stifle their imagination if I sit in on games all the time (well, that's my excuse, and I'm sticking to it )

We do do project-type things together to assuage my guilt at not spending enough quality time together- eg at the moment we have made a Christmas tree (I drew it, we all stuck tissue paper on it) and each night they want us to make decorations for it, so we do a lot of arty type stuff (even though I am hopeless!)

I've kind of given up trying to get "in" on their games, because they have a lovely un-logic (iykwim) that allows them to make strange leaps- so much more fun to listen in and smile. dd2 (3) plays really well by herself, and her imagination amazes me! Having said that, sometimes she "helps" me dust or whatever, and that can be fun too, but mostly for the chat while we are doing it

In bursts, yes, but in a supporting rather than directing way. I love building things, arty colouring stuff, etc, but the dolls etc leave me cold - fortunately she just seems to take herself off with these and chatter away.

Less than I used to. I think my batteries have sort of run out now that dc3 is almost 3. Fortunately she seems to like the peace and quiet of the older 2 being at school and enjoys playing on her own.

Mine are 7, 5 and almost 3 (2 girls and 1 boy). How do other people manage to do things together with dc of different ages and with different interests? I find it hard to make 1 to 1 for them often and would like to find something we can all do together. dd1 hates barbies etc whereas dd2 is the girliest girl ever. ds wants to build inventions out of rubbish whereas dd1 wants to follow some complicated craft pack with a million pieces and instructions. Then dd2 comes along and wrecks it all. Do you see the problem?

I will do board games, card games, dancing around, playing on drums, going on slides at the park, lego, mini golf etc.

I also suggest that we do the same thing but not together like Sudoku, a crossword or reading a book.

I will not sit in a cardboard box and pretend it's a time machine.

Fortunately ds has a best friend that loves doing this above all other things.

Thanks cat64, I can see that happening in the next few years. We already have dd1 away at clubs sometimes and it is easier with 2 closer in age.

We do have "movie night" once a week but dd2 age 2 is not able to watch a whole film and ends up wandering off or being disruptive (or getting put to bed!)

I have seen other mothers adapt an activity so it suits different ages and abilities - it's a real skill. I am going to practise! Some days I feel like all I've done is run between them fulfilling demands, never mind get around to any actual playing.

We are quite good at putting off the lights and dancing with the disco ball on, noticeably when Mummy has had a glass of red with dinner!

I do, but DS is only just 1 so it's not so bad yet. He also doesn't have a high "repeating rate" - i.e. he stops doing things after 5 or 6 times, doesn't go on and on and on and on like some children I have seen.

yes and like you i find it boring and have to force myself.

you're not alone.

Some play I find easier than others

Don't mind -
Lego
Colouring-in/drawing
Board games
Reading
Hide-and-seek

Crap at -
'Let's pretend'
Babies (dollies)
Painting/art and craft
Ponies/Polly Pocket etc

Twentypence - that is a brilliant idea. I will try it out this evening!! I could weave it into ds's history lessons or even ...pretend we are all victorian housemaids polishing and cleaning. The other game which is great is Hairdressers. You sit in a chair whilst they do your hair, arrange decorative scarves round your neck, polish your fingernails etc.

my dd has been saying that "nobody plays with me in this house"
I feel awful because I am alwyas busy and do find it boring and have always got stuff to be getting with.
But I tried to talk to her about being with other children all week at school and having loads fo lovely toys and things to play with, and not needing other people all the time?

NO thats why I had 2 DC so I didn't have to

Not really I will play board games, read books, rough and tumble, but all toy based games they play together or have lots of friends round.
They are 2.9 and 4 and they have friends round almost every other day.
If I played with them, when would I MN?

No.

But I suspect they find me boring.

They bugger off and leave me colouring in on my own.

I finish my picture.

Chocmum, try 'hairdressers' it really is GREAAT. but don't do it until bedtime, or she'll be offended when you remove the strange decorations (do it in secret)

I also love hairdressers, as you say, at bedtime when i am all out of energy. Once i fell asleep while they were adorning me.