am i horrible?

[babyv13]

i feel so ashamed typing this but i have to get it out

despite absolutely adoring my DD, i often hate playing with her. i find it so tedious pretending to be the same thing over and over again and i have absolutely no imagination which makes it even harder. i can manage to play along if she leads, but she is at the age where her play is SO repetitive that i end up feeling really drained and irritated

if i have to pretend to be the bad mum from tangled and cut rapunzel (DD)'s hair (a towel) off one more time i might actually just collapse. it was so fun and cute the first few times, but i am really sick of it now. that's just one example obviously.

am i the only one? i feel terrible

 

[.Mrs.B.]

I'm the same, pretend play is so boring for me.
I love building duplo and wooden train tracks and things like this I would do for hours but as soon as it's done and I have to be the train on the track or the people in the house I just want to stop.
I don't think it helps either when children have a certain way they want you to do it, which mine always seem to.

 

[babyv13]

I'm the same, pretend play is so boring for me.
I love building duplo and wooden train tracks and things like this I would do for hours but as soon as it's done and I have to be the train on the track or the people in the house I just want to stop.
I don't think it helps either when children have a certain way they want you to do it, which mine always seem to.

yes! I'm so glad it's not just me! I could do what you've said plus colouring in, crafting, etc for ages but she never wants to do those things for very long. mine is very particular about how it plays out too.

I'm just worried that I'm a crap, boring mum

 

[Willow82]

I'm the same. I do enjoy his role play but we have to enact the same scenario and say the same things over and over, so it does get tedious. I really enjoy doing puzzles and playing the orchard games with my DS as he's now getting to the age where he can concentrate for a short period of time rather than throw the pieces everywhere. We can only really play these games when DD is napping or OH is at home which makes things difficult.

 

[Lady_Bee]

No, you are not horrible. Pretend play can be very dull for me too. I don't mind being a scary bear or something for a little while, but it's the playing with little figures stuff that really drives me crazy. If my kids want to play pretend with me, I can do it for a little while, but when it gets too tedious I just stop and try to steer them towards another activity that I would enjoy as well, like painting, crafts or building toys. They play pretend soooo much better just with each other anyway, because they're on the same wavelength. Now that the youngest speaks so well he is an excellent playmate for my eldest! I must say, I love being off the hook for the moment. Haha.

 

[Bevziibubble]

You're not horrible at all.
I don't really enjoy playing on the floor and really dislike pretend play. I do still play but find that I have to force myself because if I don't play then I feel guilty.

 

[CaptainMummy]

Oh god, I run a mile when my youngest says 'play with the castle mummy, you be this one!'
I hate playing Barbies or with their little figures because they always make them do the same stuff and I don't even get to do anything... I just have to move my person around like a little puppy!
They don't really do it all that often tbf. They would rather draw/playdoh/crafts so I try to grim and bear it for 10 minutes or so when they ask.

 

[babyv13]

thanks so much everyone, seems it definitely not just me! massive relief

I am probably never going to have another child and I feel so bad that DD will never have a little playmate to do pretend play with, she's just stuck with me!

 

[_Meep_]

I really hate it. She's generally quite good at playing alone, but I do manage to do at least SOME play every day ... it's so dull though. Plus she only stays focused for so long before she wants to move on to the next thing, which can be draining.

Sometimes (especially at the moment with all-day nausea) I find it more bearable to sit on the sofa and chat to her while she plays, about what she's doing etc. I do play if she asks me to ... but absolutely dread being asked lol.

 

[pillarbox_red]

Ugh, I cannot do pretend play!
Like most others have said, reading, board games, colouring, building lego etc is fine but 'being' something/someone I find so difficult. My son has a wild imagination and he's constantly wanting us to be so and so and I kind of cringe whenever he says 'mum you be...'
I do feel bad, but then children and adults brains are on totally different wavelengths with stuff like this!

 

[Zephram]

I am the opposite, I get bored very quickly of drawing, lego, building blocks, etc, but I do not mind pretend play and actually enjoy being the monster or pretending to go supermarket shopping in the hallway or playing pretend house/families with DS1.

 

[Wilsey]

I don't love it either. I feel bad cos I'm sitting there playing and he's loving it but I'm struggling to come up with dialogue. Zero imagination here. Today I suggested a rousing game of hide and seek instead

 

[d_b]

My kids never do pretend play! Is that weird? Lol. They build things out of Legos, make train tracks, books, puzzles, drawing/colouring, dress-up. But I've never been asked to play figurines with them (they do have figurines but they just stand them up/pose them).

 

[Gym knickers]

I'm so glad my youngest is now able to join in with her for this reason! They play together more now and I'm off the hook! I was fine with it until about 2.5 and it's become harder and harder to stay enthusiastic! They play with each other now and I just love listening to their little games.

 

[pompeyvix]

Yes, this is me too!! Like most other people have said, I don't mind colouring/painting, reading, jigsaw puzzles or board games. However, I struggle with pretend play so much. She is very bossy and demanding and I can never seem to get it quite right Plus I find that when she does pretend play on her own, she is so much more imaginative and engrossed in play.

I do sometimes feel guilty because I am constantly encouraging/telling her to play by herself when she loves playing with me. However, I think independent play and using their own imagination is so important for their own development so the guilt doesn't last long.

I more than make up for it by taking her to soft plays, bike rides, walks, country parks, swimming and so on. We are out of the house a lot and she has a lot of 1:1 attention from me

 

[RaspberryK]

I don't do that kind of play with the kids that's the stuff I send them off to do by themselves.

 

[JumpingIn]

Omg send her to me and you can do duplo with mine!

 

[minties]

My kids never do pretend play! Is that weird? Lol. They build things out of Legos, make train tracks, books, puzzles, drawing/colouring, dress-up. But I've never been asked to play figurines with them (they do have figurines but they just stand them up/pose them).

It is a little unusual but if they are all like that, maybe it's in the genes? It was a red flag for autism with my son (who is very mildly on the spectrum, doesn't cause many issues). He role plays now with toys but only if Sophie is and only if he's in the right mood.

Sophie has wanted to role play since she was really small and I hate it with a passion! I feel bad but it's so boring.

 

[twobecome3]

i hate it too as it consists of her handing me a toy and telling me what to make it say, and its the same scene over and over again. if i try and adlib i get shut down

often if i play along for about 20 mins she will move on from me and play with her toys on her own so i can doze a bit ! if its continuing on for a long time and I'm getting irritated i will change activities.

it really depends on how anal shes being about it, sometimes she gets quite rude and shouty if I'm not playing right and then i shut that shit down quickly. i tell her if shes going to be super bossy about it she can play on her own.

 

[Jessicahide]

I don't really play like that too often, i will pretend to be a monster and chase them about making them squeal, lol or i pretend i don't know what they are saying and make them giggle "mummmmmm, where is my hulk" Me "where is your stalk?!" " no mummm, listen, where is my hulk?!" Me "oh he ran off to join funny girl!" "aaahhhhhh mum, listen lol" They soon bugger off lol!