to play or not to play....that is the question

so....i'm curious...how much do you actually play with your child(ren)? i have to admit, a bit of "not-so-perfect mommy" syndrom has got my conscience. lately, i find that many times when the boys ask me to play, i say no....for some reason or another. i feel like i have a million things to get done and i'm forever using those "things" as reasons not to play. i mean, don't get me wrong, i definitely play sometimes, but i feel that more times than not, i'm passing on the opportunity. when i sit and think about it for a second, it seems so backward. they're only going to be kids for a short while.....the laundry, dishes, work, etc will be there forever!!! right?

i definitely think there's something to be said for the boys learning to play together, as siblings, and also for them to learn to play alone. but....how much is too much?

my children and i also have VERY different personalities. while i am a results oriented person, both my boys are more task oriented. they enjoy the "task" of putting together hundreds of train track pieces, lining up hundreds of cars and rummaging through thousands of legos to build the perfect creation. me, i'd rather just see it all put together, and play with it! this causes an issue for us....as you can imagine! it is not only work, but i would say BORING and ANXIETY INDUCING for me to have to actually sit down and do such tasks!

anyone else feel this way?

and when i do sit down to play with them, i find that i am easily distracted. example...we'll be playing cars and suddenly i'll find myself sorting through the cars for "donation worthy items"....rather than creating the traffic scene i was contracted to work on. if we head to the basement (aka legoland), i will sit for a minute or two, but then i will find myself cleaning out a file cabinet and shredding 6 months worth of old bills.

i have no attention span for this kind of play....and if you couldn't tell...i'm starting to feel bad about it! should i???

Share

riding the auto train

check out the train track configuration that derek made today (with a little bit of help from andrew)!

and here's andrew in the "driver's seat"

Share

it's a bird...it's a plane...

IT'S SUPER-ANDREW

and his friend SUPER-PUPPY...

My sister's mother in law recently gave Andrew "The Superhero Starter Kit" book which came complete with red cape, masks, wrist guards, and emblems. He is SO into it!!! Today we must have played superhero for 30 minutes...that's a long time in the adult world! My role was to be someone in trouble and he had to come save/help me. Some of my "troubles" were; needing help gathering my monkeys and putting them back in their barrel, helping rescue vehicles get to an emergency, and helping to clean up (I liked this one!). In response to this last one, he said, "Wait, there's one rule. Superheroes don't clean up." I thought that was very cute!

He had a blast and has barely taken his cape off all afternoon. He brought it upstairs when he went to bed...I won't be surprised if he wakes up with it on :)

Thanks Claudia for encouraging Andrew to use his imagination! We are having SO much fun with this gift!!!

Share