Stay at home DH doesn't dress up, but he does do pretend play with DS. They usually use Legos or those plastic Army guys.

That commercial makes me cry. My kids are teenagers now, and we had one precious day like that, where we dressed up as pirates, built a "ship" on the deck, and chased each other around the backyard with foam swords. My kids were 3 and 5. It's definitely something that takes too much time, resources, and energy to do on a regular basis. I have pictures!

Anonymous wrote:I HATE that commercial. All I ever think is, doesn’t that kid have any friends her age? And isn’t she a little old for dress-up princess and pirates? I’m embarrassed for both of them.

And yes, it’s a commercial.

I think for me, the props really make it pop.

I HATE that commercial. All I ever think is, doesn’t that kid have any friends her age? And isn’t she a little old for dress-up princess and pirates? I’m embarrassed for both of them.

And yes, it’s a commercial.

Anonymous wrote:HA! I've actually thought a lot about that commercial myself and also felt like an inadequate mom! I just do not have that imaginative play gene in my body, I cannot play like that with my kids. I have 1 friend who seems to be creative enough to do stuff like that with her kids but then again, what I see on IG and FB is only a very small portion of their day!

My MIL, on the other hand, can play like that with my kids for HOURS and then she is exhausted and miserable for the rest of the night and the next day! It also really seems to confuse my kids because they expect her to play like that all the time...

Same here! I've actually talked about this with Dh when the commercial comes on! I don't know if it's a "girl mom" thing (all my kids are boys) or an "only child" thing (I have several children and they usually played pretend games together) or what, but I've never had the same type of playtime as shown in the commercial. My mom certainly never played with me like that either.

HA! I've actually thought a lot about that commercial myself and also felt like an inadequate mom! I just do not have that imaginative play gene in my body, I cannot play like that with my kids. I have 1 friend who seems to be creative enough to do stuff like that with her kids but then again, what I see on IG and FB is only a very small portion of their day!

My MIL, on the other hand, can play like that with my kids for HOURS and then she is exhausted and miserable for the rest of the night and the next day! It also really seems to confuse my kids because they expect her to play like that all the time...

Its an ad.

I’m still waiting to have a happy period, like ALWAYS tells me I should be having.

I am a SAHM. I have seen that ad and it made me feel a bit inadequate as a mom, as well. lol! I quickly reminded myself that its just an ad. Migraine or no migraine, stay at home or work, that isn't real life. Idyllic days with all play almost never happen. Don't feel bad for your life choices. You are doing what you need to do.

Sure parents do that whether they work or not but in reality its not a whole day of play, it's more like 20 minutes. It gets boring for the adult after a while.

It's a commercial!

No, it's not realistic at all. Or maybe it is, with a 4 year old, on weekend, once a year, and she'll have to do a ton of cleaning and laundry that night or the next day.

so there is a migraine ad showing a daughter, probably 8 and her mom playing "Princess and Pirates" -- basically a whole day playing with elaborate costumes, props, and imaginative play.

looks pretty idyllic, watching this makes me pine even more to stay home, but finances mean that is not in the cards.

i know its an ad, but do parents and their kids get to do this kind of imaginative play, maybe its easier when you have just one older child -- b/c with a younger sibling I'm sure crafts and playtime get muddled.