I've hardly ever had a job that didn't involve kids. Babysitter, nanny, teacher, tutor. . .MOM. I like kids. I do.
But, um, I don't really like playing with them.
I love watching them play while I also watch TV or check my email. I love teaching them new things. I love reading to them. I love cuddle time. I'll play active games, or sing songs willingly. I like going to the park and story time and other outings.
But playing princess dolls and trains? Not so much.
I feel like I just came out or admitted an addiction. "Hi, my name is Jerseygirl and I don't like playing."
"Hi Jerseygirl!"
It's not so much that I DISlike playing with my kids. It's that I get bored. I'm the kind of person who likes to read and watch TV at the same time. I like to check my email when I'm on the phone. I also like to read and/or watch TV and/or check Facebook while I play princess dolls. Because making the appropriate responses during Ironflower's stories? Not so interesting. While she's very creative artistically and when she's telling a story, the princesses tend to do the same thing. Over and over. And over and over again.
Once Hot Guy asked me who had taught Lovebug to crash his trains and cars. Because we don't let him see violent stuff and because this was before he'd started preschool, Hot Guy wondered how his little boy had learned to stage crashes.
I hated telling him that I had taught our innocent little boy to crash things because I got bored pushing them around and around. Strangely enough, Lovebug no longer wants me to play trains with him. It's almost like he doesn't trust me with all of his expensive Thomas toys.
Sometimes I imagine Ironflower on the therapist's couch lamenting, "And every time my mom played with me, she had to watch Ugly Betty or Top Chef too. Now I think I'm boring and that's why I have 87 piercings." But then I think about how much therapy she'll need if I starting banging my head against a wall while we're playing, so I'm reasonably sure that I'm doing the lesser of the two evils.
What do you think?
9 comments:
I get so bored playing with my kids too. I feel bad about it but that's just the way it is. I like doing art projects with them and reading to them but playing with them is just so freaking boring. When I think about it though, my mom almost never played with me when I was a kid and I turned out ok. I suspect my kids (and your kids) will turn out ok even if we don't give them our undivided attention 100% of the time. I hope anyway.
I hate it, too, Jersey... you know, certain things like water gun fights in the backyard or playdough or whatever at the table, and boardgames we play pretty often... but not all the time and NEVER dolls - I didn't even play with dolls when I was a kid... you'd think I would've as I love stories, but nope....
If it makes you feel better, having more than one is a blessing because they'll start to play amongst themselves and then they really don't want the parents along bumming out their inventive play:-)
Know what? I like both ways. There are times I love to play - even more than the kid. And, there are times I'd love him to entertain himself.
It gets incredibly dull, man. I'm with you. I'm not so good at the playing stuff.
Hopefully all he'll remember is all the times you did play with him.
That makes me feel so much better.
Yeah, playing. I'm not that into it. I wish I was. I try to be. I'm just not. But, I don't remember my mom playing with me all that much either. I'm alright, for the most part.
Oh dear God!! You mean I am not alone. Sweet Mary and Joseph!! I am normal. Thank you, Ladies. Thank you for erasing 3 years of guilt.
I more enjoyed being in the room when MotorMouth was young and I could watch Law & Order:SUV without imagining him growing up to be a serial killer. Mini Me screams and cries ever 5 minutes. I have no desire to play in there with them.
Maybe we should start a support group?
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