Do you like playing with your young (<5) children?

[Anonymous]

No, not really. I don't mind if she is playing tea party and brings me some "tea and cookies" or if she takes my orders (when she pretends to be a waitress) or when she asks which animal I want to be or things like that. Short and I can do whatever I am doing while "playing."

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:No, not really. I don't mind if she is playing tea party and brings me some "tea and cookies" or if she takes my orders (when she pretends to be a waitress) or when she asks which animal I want to be or things like that. Short and I can do whatever I am doing while "playing."

+1

[Anonymous]

this thread makes me feel so much better about not loving to play with my kids for more than 2 minutes!!

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Yes. But not for long periods of time.

This. I can pretend for a few minutes. I prefer to read to them or play a board game with clear instructions, versus just having my DD boss me around telling me which disney evil queen I get to portray that day and exactly what I should say. OP, what do you like to do with them? Focus on those things (cook with them, do playdough, read, whatever YOU like) and focus on those so you don't have to do the annoying things all the time.

My 3.5 year old son LOVES to play Mother Gothel from Tangled and ties me to his bed with a dog leash- I have to wail and say "Mother Gothel, let me go! I'll never stop fighting you." One can only do that for so long.

[Anonymous]

It depends. I love to hear my son laugh out loud with big smiles. It's so much joy. He really loosens up at home with us. Usually after 15 minute of this type of play, he listens and behave as we tell him. Little kids laugh can be infectious.

[Anonymous]

Ha, as I sit in front of the computer allowing my DD to watch TV...it really depends. I can play with them at the park (throwing a ball, chasing, etc), color/draw, play actual games (cards, board games), do Legos/blocks some...but not much of the pretend play. That's why I'm glad they have each other. I like to do other things with them--cooking and baking, reading books, nature walks, all that stuff--but it's hard for me to get into the playing mindset.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Yes. But not for long periods of time.

This. I can pretend for a few minutes. I prefer to read to them or play a board game with clear instructions, versus just having my DD boss me around telling me which disney evil queen I get to portray that day and exactly what I should say. OP, what do you like to do with them? Focus on those things (cook with them, do playdough, read, whatever YOU like) and focus on those so you don't have to do the annoying things all the time.

My 3.5 year old son LOVES to play Mother Gothel from Tangled and ties me to his bed with a dog leash- I have to wail and say "Mother Gothel, let me go! I'll never stop fighting you." One can only do that for so long.

HA! I'm the person you quoted and WHENEVER we go to a playground, both kids insist that I play Mother Gothel and they are Rapunzel/Flynn Rider and I have to boss them around and forbid them from coming down the tower but then they sneak down. I do a pretty good MG impression (if I do say so myself) but if there are too many people around I won't play and they get annoyed and don't get why I won't play and do "the voice" when others are around

[Anonymous]

I don't enjoy pretend play- I think because this is SO specific to their age/imagination. whereas I love to do any kind of art project, building, cooking, reading stories, etc.

[Anonymous]

Yes. I actually like pretend best of all. DD's 2.5. We play - Barbie or Elmo hit me, and then they go to time out. We play that she's giving me food. We play shadow puppets at night. We make snakes with playdoh. We dance together, we have tickle fights. We roll a ball back and forth or play soccer. She colors alone, I don't do that with her. Full disclosure, I'm a WOHM - I would like to read and relax at night, but I get at least some of this stuff in with her nightly.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Yes. But not for long periods of time.

This. I can pretend for a few minutes. I prefer to read to them or play a board game with clear instructions, versus just having my DD boss me around telling me which disney evil queen I get to portray that day and exactly what I should say. OP, what do you like to do with them? Focus on those things (cook with them, do playdough, read, whatever YOU like) and focus on those so you don't have to do the annoying things all the time.

My 3.5 year old son LOVES to play Mother Gothel from Tangled and ties me to his bed with a dog leash- I have to wail and say "Mother Gothel, let me go! I'll never stop fighting you." One can only do that for so long.

HA! I'm the person you quoted and WHENEVER we go to a playground, both kids insist that I play Mother Gothel and they are Rapunzel/Flynn Rider and I have to boss them around and forbid them from coming down the tower but then they sneak down. I do a pretty good MG impression (if I do say so myself) but if there are too many people around I won't play and they get annoyed and don't get why I won't play and do "the voice" when others are around

Hilarious! If I run into you on the playground, I'll give you a fist bump.

What I love even more is when DS makes 6'1" DH play Rapunzel. My 5 year old DD has the Rapunzel dress- I wish DS would just be happy playing with her. He also will make DH be Captain Hook and kidnap the Rapnuzel figurine on his boat, then DS will play Jake and try to rescue her.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Yes. But not for long periods of time.

This. I can pretend for a few minutes. I prefer to read to them or play a board game with clear instructions, versus just having my DD boss me around telling me which disney evil queen I get to portray that day and exactly what I should say. OP, what do you like to do with them? Focus on those things (cook with them, do playdough, read, whatever YOU like) and focus on those so you don't have to do the annoying things all the time.

My 3.5 year old son LOVES to play Mother Gothel from Tangled and ties me to his bed with a dog leash- I have to wail and say "Mother Gothel, let me go! I'll never stop fighting you." One can only do that for so long.

HA! I'm the person you quoted and WHENEVER we go to a playground, both kids insist that I play Mother Gothel and they are Rapunzel/Flynn Rider and I have to boss them around and forbid them from coming down the tower but then they sneak down. I do a pretty good MG impression (if I do say so myself) but if there are too many people around I won't play and they get annoyed and don't get why I won't play and do "the voice" when others are around

Hilarious! If I run into you on the playground, I'll give you a fist bump.

What I love even more is when DS makes 6'1" DH play Rapunzel. My 5 year old DD has the Rapunzel dress- I wish DS would just be happy playing with her. He also will make DH be Captain Hook and kidnap the Rapnuzel figurine on his boat, then DS will play Jake and try to rescue her.

Please please tell me that your tall DH wears a wig or a sheet when he gets to be Rapunzel!

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:this thread makes me feel so much better about not loving to play with my kids for more than 2 minutes!!

+1

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I can push her on the swing for two hours straight. But other than that, not really. She's 2, so she cant even articulate what she's doing very well when she's playing. This is half the point of having a nanny. If I didn't hate kids it would be the point of having a second child - built in playmate.

Is this for real? Your parenting is craptastic.

[Anonymous]

Depends on what. I like blocks, building stuff, putting together wooden train tracks. I don't like many pretend games. Something like pretending we are veterinarians for stuffed animals is ok for a bit, but anything that involved running around and hiding or pretending to be Lego police is a no.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Yes. But not for long periods of time.

This. I can pretend for a few minutes. I prefer to read to them or play a board game with clear instructions, versus just having my DD boss me around telling me which disney evil queen I get to portray that day and exactly what I should say. OP, what do you like to do with them? Focus on those things (cook with them, do playdough, read, whatever YOU like) and focus on those so you don't have to do the annoying things all the time.

Lol I thought my son was the inky one who was so bossy like that! Fortunately, he grew out of it by kindergarten.

What does "inky" mean? I'm not familiar with it in that context.

Pretty sure it's a typo and PP meant to say "only."

To address the question - when my first was young I didn't like it so much because I think i was trying too hard and overanalyzing what she should be playing and what was developmentally appropriate/stimulating for her age. As she got older, and after we added a second one to the mix, I relaxed and just rolled with it. We paint, do play-doh, they cook me pretend meals, we run around, have snacks in furniture tents, and it's fun. I still get a little hysterical about the giant messes that get made, but I've even relaxed on that front!