Anonymous wrote:Woah, I missed that your kid was THREE. I wouldn't think this was an ideal situation for an 18m old, but a THREE year old?! If she is not in school at least part days and/or you're not leaving out that you host playgroup/playdates frequently in your home, this is really not a good situation for your kids' development socially or, frankly, gross motor-wise... (unless you have, like, indoor playground equipment?).

All of the PPs who say they were "just like this" and then describe super unusual scenarios of half empty houses and every day playground and playing in your driveway (which OP doesn't even describe doing)... No, you were not "just like this" unless OP left out MANY relevant facts. Outdoors exposure is 25% of the issue, so you were 25% not serving your child well; but socialization and physical playing are 75% of the issue and you took care of those aspects where there is no evidence OP is.

Having rooms devoid of furniture and stuff is not really unusual when a young family moves from an apartment to a SFH. I am assuy that someone with a 3 year old is not middle aged.
Instead of furnishing your home when kids are young...have areas they can play in till they start going to proper school. Give them place to run around.

I can be happy this way but my 3.5 year old goes to preschool. He rides the bus though so I defiantly have days I don't leave the house. My 8 mo old could care less and my 8 year old is in all day school and is tired when he gets home so on the nights he has no sports we just chill. Once in awhile I will realize I haven't left the house in 3 days or so. Especially if I have DH take my oldest to practice or religious school in the evenings. I work from home too which doesn't help. I work 3 - 6 hour shift and have a sitter come here when I go downstairs to work. I have thought about using a daycare but its easier with nap schedules and bus schedules to just have someone come here. Weekends we typically aren't home at all with bday parties, soccer/basketball games, and family obligations so I welcome staying home a few days in a row. Grocery delivery is the biggest difference between now and when my oldest was born 8 years ago. I use to have to legit leave to get food more often and I haven't been to a grocery store in months now. #homebodiesunite

Bonus: My house is always very clean/decorated nicely because I just kinda putter around from project to project.

Kids of this age may not play with each other but do parallel play. For me it meant that the kid was happy with just the neighbor kid or her cousin. However both the kids wanted the exact same things so we had two sets of everything.

OP I prefer to be home too. A lot of my friends just go go go because they can't stand being home alone with their child which I also find unhealthy. Their kids can't function without constant activity. Somewhere in the middle is probably the right place to be. My child is 2 and I could totally stay home for several days with her and be perfectly content reading books and playing. She does preschool two days a week but I tend to stay closer to home the other three days. Anyways, I would make an effort to go to the park and out a little more than you are but I don't think it means she's doomed to be homeschooled and antisocial

Anonymous wrote:OP, your kid is super easy and likes to do the stuff that you do at home. Obviously, she is not bored with you.

Trust me, if the kid was antsy at home, you would have no option but to take her out.

This. I am like you OP and like to stay home but my kid does not so I have no choice but to get out. I am sure there are others like you too and nothing wrong if your kid is happy.

However, to help your kid prepare for PreK and K, you may want to sign her up for half-day or 2 hour activities twice a week so she gets used to playing with other kids.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I feel like a child who is used to being indoors all day with only her mom might have a terrible time adjusting to Kindergarten, esp. since it's full day K around here.

My sister-in-law never takes her daughter outside - she is at home all day every day with mom and grandma. She's three now, so they tried preschool recently and it went TERRIBLY. She cannot cope with being separated. Instead of trying to gently ease her in over time, they just pulled her out. I don't know what they are going to do when she has to go to real school!

Homeschool

Wait for it...

I do this on some days if there is a lot I need to get done at home. It is harder to go out with 2 kids so I stayed home a lot when my youngest was a small baby. When I just had a 3 year old all day we went everywhere , parks, libraries, zoo , classes, etc. Now that she is no longer 3 and is in K and my son is now 2, now the 2 year old and I go everywhere. My kids have always been shy and anxious since birth so I like to get them socializing with kids and adults as much as possible.

Woah, I missed that your kid was THREE. I wouldn't think this was an ideal situation for an 18m old, but a THREE year old?! If she is not in school at least part days and/or you're not leaving out that you host playgroup/playdates frequently in your home, this is really not a good situation for your kids' development socially or, frankly, gross motor-wise... (unless you have, like, indoor playground equipment?).

All of the PPs who say they were "just like this" and then describe super unusual scenarios of half empty houses and every day playground and playing in your driveway (which OP doesn't even describe doing)... No, you were not "just like this" unless OP left out MANY relevant facts. Outdoors exposure is 25% of the issue, so you were 25% not serving your child well; but socialization and physical playing are 75% of the issue and you took care of those aspects where there is no evidence OP is.

On my maternity leave I was kind of like this - getting out of the house was like this huge chore with all the gear and always forgetting something, so I avoided it. Going outside would make me feel better but the lead-up was very intimidating and caused me anxiety. Of course, staying inside all day/week made me even more anxious/depressed.

As soon as I was back at work I felt a million times better, and I took the whole thing as a sign that I wasn't really cut from the right cloth to make a great SAHM.

We know a family like this with a 6 year old and a 3 year old. They are homeschooling and at this point neither kid knows how to socialize. Their world is getting smaller and smaller.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I feel like a child who is used to being indoors all day with only her mom might have a terrible time adjusting to Kindergarten, esp. since it's full day K around here.

That was not my experience with my kid. By 5 years of age, my kid was developmentally ready to be with other kids. At 3 years, she was happier at home and playing with the neighbor's kid of her own age.

Really depends on the kid and the home environment and other socialization.

Your situation is not what the pp was referring to.

Change this, for your kid's sake (and health!!)

Anonymous wrote:I don't buy this--you don't even go to the park?

+100
How do you burn off energy/get fresh air/exercise?

And why not spread out your weekend chores/errands over the course if the week - are you too insecure to be out of the house w/your 3 yr old w/o your DH?

Anonymous wrote:I feel like a child who is used to being indoors all day with only her mom might have a terrible time adjusting to Kindergarten, esp. since it's full day K around here.

My sister-in-law never takes her daughter outside - she is at home all day every day with mom and grandma. She's three now, so they tried preschool recently and it went TERRIBLY. She cannot cope with being separated. Instead of trying to gently ease her in over time, they just pulled her out. I don't know what they are going to do when she has to go to real school!

I don't buy this--you don't even go to the park?