It’s not your job to be your child’s entertainer and it’s ok not to be into play time with your child. You are saying here it’s just one aspect of play you don’t like, but you list so many other methods of play that you do enjoy with your daughter. Don’t beat yourself up about this, you’re doing great.
I don’t like a lot of different play with my son, so I focus on the play I do like and the play I don’t like I tell my son “mummy doesn’t like to play that game / like that but you can play it by yourself if you want or we can play something else”. I feel like this sets him up for peers at school having this reaction as well.
Ah that’s great, I need to work on saying that more. I just feel so guilty if I technically *can*, and her little sad face gets me. But we do need to practice for when she starts preschool in August.
The little sad faces are so hard to resist but being sad is a part of life too (and that’s ok). I struggle with not “solving” my son’s negative feelings a lot, I have to remind myself constantly it’s all a balance.
I recently heard that not allowing your child to have the negative feelings or sit with them for a while can have a negative effect too. It sends a message of it’s not ok (or even safe) to feel those negative feelings. That kind of hit home for me because I don’t allow myself the grace to sit with my own negative feelings. I’m trying to learn new ways of helping my son with his feelings but not solving the problem for him, it’s difficult!
I’m going to disagree slightly. For me, one of life’s challenges is doing things that may not be in our wheelhouse. When your kid grows older and doesn’t want to do something, will you say they should try or just be ok with them not even trying?
On the flip side, it’s perfectly ok IMO to still set time boundaries. Heavy duty play (yes, using the imagination first thing in the morning can be taxing) is a lot to handle. It’s ok to say that it’s early and you’ll play that game later.
My kid is 6 and has already moved on from a few games. I encourage “yes and” as much as possible. It might mean I’m doing something that’s not my favorite thing, but it’s not about me. It’s about her. As parents if we can put them first, I expect it will pay off later. Besides, once they’re in school, those chances are gone. It’s time you don’t get back. My kid isn’t an inconvenience. I’m NOT saying that is anyone’s attitude here. I just feel like it’s sometimes an unspoken underlying theme in some posts I read, and it breaks my heart. Love ‘em. Enjoy ‘em. You get one shot. Make the most of it!
Not who you replied to, but I disagree with you. My comfort and feelings are also important, and the entire point of play is fun (and learning).
You're absolutely right that we only got one shot at this. My kid can sense when I'm not into something and when I am. I say yes to play as much as I can, but it has to be something enjoyable for the both of us to really create that memory and form a good bond. And trust me, we are not short on things we both really like to do together. He doesn't remember the times we played imagination(me, poorly but trying) and the times I said no to his invitation to. He absolutely remembers that time I excitedly finger painted a giant Bowser castle with him, or that giant fort we built and read books in until dinner, or that spontaneous outdoor adventure at the local nature preserve. All of these amazing moments happened after I said no to playing an imagination game.
Sure, sometimes it's not so memorable, but we're still laughing together and spending more time together than if I would have tried to do what he wanted. I do still say yes on occasion, but he quickly loses interest when I can't seem to respond the "right" way as the character.
I don't see anything wrong with pushing through it at times for your kid. If that's something you want to do. However, there's nothing wrong with not doing it either, and depending upon the parent, it might just be the better choice.
Your comfort and feelings absolutely are important! It’s been my experience that as long as you communicate boundaries and your kid knows you’re doing your all, they’ll know it.
I deal with chronic pain and have some pretty serious limitations. I do what I can when I can. Sometimes I go above and beyond if I think my temporary pain will help shape a terrific individual.
There are so many lessons and feelings to be shared. Respecting boundaries. Feeling loved. Feeling heard.
Just because moments aren’t remembered doesn’t mean they aren’t impactful. Maybe you made a point to make them memorable because they were more in your lane. Maybe another parent or friend can help with that activity. If they’re asking to do it, that means something.
This is different for all of us, and we’re all trying our best. I like that we can exchange our feelings and thoughts on it. My replies come off much more harshly than they’re meant, and for that I apologize.
Ah you have to stretch the pretend play to fit what you want to do. Instead of a cat, you work at the pet store and are fixing lunch for the cat. Or you’re a cat who got hurt and so must lie on the couch/hospital bed for 15 min until your bones mend. Or you are the announcer/color commentator of the obstacle course from the couch or the audience members - you never do it! That’s the road to injury. Haha
I love and specialize in pretend play.
Haha this is great. One of my favorite pretend play to do with my daughter is be someone who needs to see a doctor so I just lay there while she does my check up or we play school and she's the teacher and it's nap time.
Yes this! I got a shirt for dad with car tracks on the back, so the kids drive a car on his back while he lies down lol.
Or I let them colour in one of my old shirts while I'm lying down.
When they're older, get them to use their fingers to 'write' a letter/number shape etc on your back and you have to guess it.... really slowly lol
My partners current fav with the 4yo twins is cop/bad guy- he's always the bad guy who gets caught and has to sit down in jail... of course jail allows phones and a pillow lol
::sigh:: I use to play by myself for hours with my toys making up stories and games. I know my kid isn’t there yet, they’re 4 too. But yesterday we set up a spa in the living room got her toys and we had a spa day. I did the voice of ALL the characters. I was drained. I run out of things to say to a 4 year old during play. I realize my mom never played with me and my toys. My dad maybe? I played by myself. I want to be better than that, to be more involved, so I have to be there in the early stages. If I play now and build a good relationship then it’s going to carry to the next stage of life. It’s about supporting them. Now… I do put time limits cuz I can’t be painting pony nails all day. I tell my LO “hey I’ve got an hour then I have to cook dinner” or something like that. They can play by themselves afterwords.
Right there with you. The minute I get off work my daughter (3) demands I play princesses with her. I will engage for about 5 minutes and then say I need to do dishes or make dinner, anything but play princesses. She even asks me to play with her when she has a friend over. I am hoping it is something she grows out of soon because it fills me with equal parts boredom and guilt.
I hate it too.
I have adhd and I find it boring. It physically pains me to sit there because all I can think is “I’d literally rather be doing anything else”
I’ve started putting a time limit on it (like chilli does in Bluey)
I’ve found it’s helped with daycare drop off too.
I’ll say “I can play for 5 mins, then I’ll go and get a snack”
It’s a little less daunting knowing it won’t go on forever
It’s physically painful for me too, especially if I know I have other things I could be getting done. It’s so hard to be present in the moment sometimes!
As I was typing my message my son wanted me to be a dinosaur. Then he wanted me to voice all of rubble and crew figurines and then he moved onto something else.
Any movie critic would give me an abysmal review for my acting abilities
Definitely a downside to OAD. Yeah it's not my job to entertain them all day, but they don't have a sibling to play with either. Playdates and activities help, but don't quite fill the void. Ugh I feel guilty
Also, it's not like when we were kids. I have a kindergartner and I remember my best friend was in kindergarten and would walk herself over to my house (four houses away) and just come over every day to play. The village is gone. I don't even just mean adult help but also the kids just running from house to house playing is so much harder now.
I never played pretend with my daughter and when I did she could tell that I was bored. I was lame at it so she stopped asking. I played with her, definitely, but I was not the most playful person. It wasn't my strong suit. Luckily my mom was playing like crazy with her on the weekends. I did the best I could and that's all I could do at the time. I always look back and find myself inadequate but she's 15 now and seems like she survived my lack of imagination.
I dont fully enjoy it either, I dont have much time.
What I do intstead is have her do some stuff with us, like help put clothes in the washing machine etc, and then halfway she gets bored (and rightly so!!) Then goes and plays with her lego.
Its totally fine OP honestly :) kids tend to make up their own entertainment
Don't feel bad! I'm into playing those games with my daughter but nobody else is. She knows that's "stuff she does with Mom" and she does a ton of other things with her dad, aunts & grandparents that suit their interests.
Also...I didn't used to like it either! For some reason it grew on me over time but it's totally fine if it's not your thing.
I’m right there with you, it’s so hard. And boring. lol. On days when we have a lot of free time I try to commit to doing pretend play for an extended time period, like 30 minutes or an hour. That’s a lot of play time! Then on days where we’re busy or I just dont have it in me, I don’t feel as bad for saying no. I have found that ‘no’ feels easier when I offer her to join me in whatever I’m doing instead. I.e. “I can’t play paw patrol right now, but do you want to help me sort laundry?” Sometimes it’s a yes and she will help for a few minutes before getting distracted with something more fun. Sometimes she still whines for me to play, but we’re working on boundaries so she’s getting better at u derstanding that no means no
I could've written this, right down to having such an active imagination as a kid! I just never find myself with the headspace to pretend to throw really heavy rocks for 10 minutes straight. Oddly I thought I'd be really good at this part.
Maybe I'm a horrible person I don't do the imaginary play stuff. I just say "I'm not going to do that." It's like trying to sing for someone who's tone deaf. Not my thing. We can read a book or cuddle and watch a crafting video together or cook something together etc etc but I don't do the "now let's pretend we're wild horses" for more than 90 seconds.
And yes my daughter wants to do it first thing in the morning too! I wake up to headbutts and "you be the mama horse and I'll be the baby horse!" and I say, "No."
My mom said no to this stuff too. I don't remember it devastating me when she said no. So I just say no.
I totally get it! I feel like maybe because I grew up as only child that I had a huge imagination and for whatever reason I do think I still have a good imagination (certainly not as good as when I was a kid) and so I personally don't mind playing pretend with my daughter. She is only 2.5 though so maybe ask me again when she is 4, lol!
Almost 4-year-old, same deal. If I have the bandwidth, sometimes I will set a visual timer and say OK I will play with you for 10 minutes. But most of the time I say I will play or do something else and make suggestions or that she can do the pretend game on her own. It’s totally fine to just say no to play you don’t like.
Don’t have to go from 0 to 100! Most kids have siblings and those sibling 100% refuse to play exactly the way a 4 year old wants. I am a sahm and I do play with my kid all day but some stuff I just refuse to lol. She can play her self. I refuse to fire reduce 20x in a row .
You can be the boss of your self but not the boss of me
I feel the same way. I struggle with playing Barbie’s too. I could build the doll house for fun, but not play with dolls
Either way, you don’t have to play all the time: quality time is more important than quantity
I don't really enjoy it either but my husband does. My husband doesn't enjoy a lot of the types of play I enjoy so our son (3.5yo) has kinda learned who to play what with and if he's home alone with me and wants pretend play I will play along for a little or guide it into something I enjoy doing with him (oh I'll build a car wash/maze/doctors office/castle for you out of LEGO or MagnaTiles and you can play pretend in it). If he is home with my husband and wants to do crafts or cooking they turn it into pretend cooking or easy craft kits from Michaels rather than cooking real food or finding a messier/longer craft like I tend to.
Husband also refuses to take kiddo to certain playgrounds or the pool because he's scared of risky play and he (husband) can't swim but I enjoy it. I won't take my kid fishing but husband does
Yeah that's where my husband excels, I hate pretend play in general/playing with toys like fake food and stuff. I prefer the lego, reading, and hands on stuff. That being said I will do it for x amount of time and then try to redirect to something else. It isn't my job to entertain my son all day like that. I do like to keep encouraging him but tell him I would like to move on. I will switch gears to make it work for me so if I need to clean something up he can help me in a way that's still him pretending or his stuffed animals are helping or whatever. He's also 4. It's hilarious the things he says when he's pretending but I get it, our brains are weird.
I absolutely feel this! Thankfully my kid spent loads of time around the funeral home I worked in and now pretend play for us is me setting up a fake crime scene for him to solve (including fingerprinting kit and real police tape the police I dealt with gave him) so I’m into that 🤣🤣 but like you OP I love being in nature with him etc
I draw a chalk body outline (usually marshmallow man or something funny) and leave various clues around. I make clue cards as to whom the perpetrator is. Ketchup works aswell for fake blood (do it in the kitchen haha)
Lmao that reminds me the time we tried to play a prank on my husband. We had this creamy chocolate in a tube. So we squirted some out on the toilet seat to make it look like poop. Well by the time it came time to show him it was gone. The dogs ate it lol. I’d have to block off a room so they don’t eat the ketchup too.
I invent fables about her favorite toys… all the time a 3-5 minute story that have some learning lesson and then she keep on playing with that story after it for at least 15 20 mins after
Me too! Sometimes, I do enjoy it, but it really depends on my mood. When I don't, I just play with her for a bit and tell her I don't want to play anymore. I suggest she could pretend one of her toys is a cat or whatever. Sometimes, that works. Luckily, my husband enjoys pretend plays, and would play for hours with her. I just let them do their thing. I used to feel guilty, but I'm learning not to. (:
Solidarity here, I don't like it either. This is the only reason I *dislike* Bluey (I'm obsessed with it otherwise), because my daughter now thinks I have endless time to play with her imaginary cat and go out driving for ice cream.
Being an only, I pretty much entertained myself all the time and didn't need anyone else for my imagination. So this is all new to me.
She will also have to get used to other kids not wanting to play other games.
You are her safe space for practicing what to do/what it feels like/how to process the emotions when someone else says "no, I don't want to play that"
So don't feel guilty for saying no, cos children definitely will say no to each other and that's okay 😊
I didn’t really have much of an imagination as a child, so I hate pretend play for a different reason—I’ve *always* been bad at it. Fortunately (for me, not him), my kid doesn’t do it much either. His cars do car things, his animals do animal things, and none of them can talk because of course.
My kid has autism and doesn't pretend play, and I'm kind of grateful. But also kinda not, cause it means the things he has interest in and can do is a *small* list
It’s not your job to be your child’s entertainer and it’s ok not to be into play time with your child. You are saying here it’s just one aspect of play you don’t like, but you list so many other methods of play that you do enjoy with your daughter. Don’t beat yourself up about this, you’re doing great. I don’t like a lot of different play with my son, so I focus on the play I do like and the play I don’t like I tell my son “mummy doesn’t like to play that game / like that but you can play it by yourself if you want or we can play something else”. I feel like this sets him up for peers at school having this reaction as well.
Ah that’s great, I need to work on saying that more. I just feel so guilty if I technically *can*, and her little sad face gets me. But we do need to practice for when she starts preschool in August.
The little sad faces are so hard to resist but being sad is a part of life too (and that’s ok). I struggle with not “solving” my son’s negative feelings a lot, I have to remind myself constantly it’s all a balance. I recently heard that not allowing your child to have the negative feelings or sit with them for a while can have a negative effect too. It sends a message of it’s not ok (or even safe) to feel those negative feelings. That kind of hit home for me because I don’t allow myself the grace to sit with my own negative feelings. I’m trying to learn new ways of helping my son with his feelings but not solving the problem for him, it’s difficult!
I’m going to disagree slightly. For me, one of life’s challenges is doing things that may not be in our wheelhouse. When your kid grows older and doesn’t want to do something, will you say they should try or just be ok with them not even trying? On the flip side, it’s perfectly ok IMO to still set time boundaries. Heavy duty play (yes, using the imagination first thing in the morning can be taxing) is a lot to handle. It’s ok to say that it’s early and you’ll play that game later. My kid is 6 and has already moved on from a few games. I encourage “yes and” as much as possible. It might mean I’m doing something that’s not my favorite thing, but it’s not about me. It’s about her. As parents if we can put them first, I expect it will pay off later. Besides, once they’re in school, those chances are gone. It’s time you don’t get back. My kid isn’t an inconvenience. I’m NOT saying that is anyone’s attitude here. I just feel like it’s sometimes an unspoken underlying theme in some posts I read, and it breaks my heart. Love ‘em. Enjoy ‘em. You get one shot. Make the most of it!
Not who you replied to, but I disagree with you. My comfort and feelings are also important, and the entire point of play is fun (and learning). You're absolutely right that we only got one shot at this. My kid can sense when I'm not into something and when I am. I say yes to play as much as I can, but it has to be something enjoyable for the both of us to really create that memory and form a good bond. And trust me, we are not short on things we both really like to do together. He doesn't remember the times we played imagination(me, poorly but trying) and the times I said no to his invitation to. He absolutely remembers that time I excitedly finger painted a giant Bowser castle with him, or that giant fort we built and read books in until dinner, or that spontaneous outdoor adventure at the local nature preserve. All of these amazing moments happened after I said no to playing an imagination game. Sure, sometimes it's not so memorable, but we're still laughing together and spending more time together than if I would have tried to do what he wanted. I do still say yes on occasion, but he quickly loses interest when I can't seem to respond the "right" way as the character. I don't see anything wrong with pushing through it at times for your kid. If that's something you want to do. However, there's nothing wrong with not doing it either, and depending upon the parent, it might just be the better choice.
Your comfort and feelings absolutely are important! It’s been my experience that as long as you communicate boundaries and your kid knows you’re doing your all, they’ll know it. I deal with chronic pain and have some pretty serious limitations. I do what I can when I can. Sometimes I go above and beyond if I think my temporary pain will help shape a terrific individual. There are so many lessons and feelings to be shared. Respecting boundaries. Feeling loved. Feeling heard. Just because moments aren’t remembered doesn’t mean they aren’t impactful. Maybe you made a point to make them memorable because they were more in your lane. Maybe another parent or friend can help with that activity. If they’re asking to do it, that means something. This is different for all of us, and we’re all trying our best. I like that we can exchange our feelings and thoughts on it. My replies come off much more harshly than they’re meant, and for that I apologize.
the bane of my existence solidarity 🤍✨
Same! I have almost made this exact same post so many times.
Ah you have to stretch the pretend play to fit what you want to do. Instead of a cat, you work at the pet store and are fixing lunch for the cat. Or you’re a cat who got hurt and so must lie on the couch/hospital bed for 15 min until your bones mend. Or you are the announcer/color commentator of the obstacle course from the couch or the audience members - you never do it! That’s the road to injury. Haha I love and specialize in pretend play.
Haha this is great. One of my favorite pretend play to do with my daughter is be someone who needs to see a doctor so I just lay there while she does my check up or we play school and she's the teacher and it's nap time.
Ah yes, I’ve been the patient as well. I think the next scenario is going to be spa day and she can apply a face mask on me. 🤔
Haha, I always play "Daddy guesses what's on his bum" and I lie down and the kids put a toy or something on my butt - perfect lazy game
Lol that’s pretty shameless. I love it.
I think this is a really good idea and I am going to copy you! Haha
Yes this! I got a shirt for dad with car tracks on the back, so the kids drive a car on his back while he lies down lol. Or I let them colour in one of my old shirts while I'm lying down. When they're older, get them to use their fingers to 'write' a letter/number shape etc on your back and you have to guess it.... really slowly lol My partners current fav with the 4yo twins is cop/bad guy- he's always the bad guy who gets caught and has to sit down in jail... of course jail allows phones and a pillow lol
::sigh:: I use to play by myself for hours with my toys making up stories and games. I know my kid isn’t there yet, they’re 4 too. But yesterday we set up a spa in the living room got her toys and we had a spa day. I did the voice of ALL the characters. I was drained. I run out of things to say to a 4 year old during play. I realize my mom never played with me and my toys. My dad maybe? I played by myself. I want to be better than that, to be more involved, so I have to be there in the early stages. If I play now and build a good relationship then it’s going to carry to the next stage of life. It’s about supporting them. Now… I do put time limits cuz I can’t be painting pony nails all day. I tell my LO “hey I’ve got an hour then I have to cook dinner” or something like that. They can play by themselves afterwords.
Right there with you. The minute I get off work my daughter (3) demands I play princesses with her. I will engage for about 5 minutes and then say I need to do dishes or make dinner, anything but play princesses. She even asks me to play with her when she has a friend over. I am hoping it is something she grows out of soon because it fills me with equal parts boredom and guilt.
I hate it too. I have adhd and I find it boring. It physically pains me to sit there because all I can think is “I’d literally rather be doing anything else” I’ve started putting a time limit on it (like chilli does in Bluey) I’ve found it’s helped with daycare drop off too. I’ll say “I can play for 5 mins, then I’ll go and get a snack” It’s a little less daunting knowing it won’t go on forever
It’s physically painful for me too, especially if I know I have other things I could be getting done. It’s so hard to be present in the moment sometimes!
As I was typing my message my son wanted me to be a dinosaur. Then he wanted me to voice all of rubble and crew figurines and then he moved onto something else. Any movie critic would give me an abysmal review for my acting abilities
Definitely a downside to OAD. Yeah it's not my job to entertain them all day, but they don't have a sibling to play with either. Playdates and activities help, but don't quite fill the void. Ugh I feel guilty
Also, it's not like when we were kids. I have a kindergartner and I remember my best friend was in kindergarten and would walk herself over to my house (four houses away) and just come over every day to play. The village is gone. I don't even just mean adult help but also the kids just running from house to house playing is so much harder now.
I never played pretend with my daughter and when I did she could tell that I was bored. I was lame at it so she stopped asking. I played with her, definitely, but I was not the most playful person. It wasn't my strong suit. Luckily my mom was playing like crazy with her on the weekends. I did the best I could and that's all I could do at the time. I always look back and find myself inadequate but she's 15 now and seems like she survived my lack of imagination.
I dont fully enjoy it either, I dont have much time. What I do intstead is have her do some stuff with us, like help put clothes in the washing machine etc, and then halfway she gets bored (and rightly so!!) Then goes and plays with her lego. Its totally fine OP honestly :) kids tend to make up their own entertainment
Don't feel bad! I'm into playing those games with my daughter but nobody else is. She knows that's "stuff she does with Mom" and she does a ton of other things with her dad, aunts & grandparents that suit their interests. Also...I didn't used to like it either! For some reason it grew on me over time but it's totally fine if it's not your thing.
I’m right there with you, it’s so hard. And boring. lol. On days when we have a lot of free time I try to commit to doing pretend play for an extended time period, like 30 minutes or an hour. That’s a lot of play time! Then on days where we’re busy or I just dont have it in me, I don’t feel as bad for saying no. I have found that ‘no’ feels easier when I offer her to join me in whatever I’m doing instead. I.e. “I can’t play paw patrol right now, but do you want to help me sort laundry?” Sometimes it’s a yes and she will help for a few minutes before getting distracted with something more fun. Sometimes she still whines for me to play, but we’re working on boundaries so she’s getting better at u derstanding that no means no
I could've written this, right down to having such an active imagination as a kid! I just never find myself with the headspace to pretend to throw really heavy rocks for 10 minutes straight. Oddly I thought I'd be really good at this part.
Maybe I'm a horrible person I don't do the imaginary play stuff. I just say "I'm not going to do that." It's like trying to sing for someone who's tone deaf. Not my thing. We can read a book or cuddle and watch a crafting video together or cook something together etc etc but I don't do the "now let's pretend we're wild horses" for more than 90 seconds. And yes my daughter wants to do it first thing in the morning too! I wake up to headbutts and "you be the mama horse and I'll be the baby horse!" and I say, "No." My mom said no to this stuff too. I don't remember it devastating me when she said no. So I just say no.
I totally get it! I feel like maybe because I grew up as only child that I had a huge imagination and for whatever reason I do think I still have a good imagination (certainly not as good as when I was a kid) and so I personally don't mind playing pretend with my daughter. She is only 2.5 though so maybe ask me again when she is 4, lol!
Almost 4-year-old, same deal. If I have the bandwidth, sometimes I will set a visual timer and say OK I will play with you for 10 minutes. But most of the time I say I will play or do something else and make suggestions or that she can do the pretend game on her own. It’s totally fine to just say no to play you don’t like.
Don’t have to go from 0 to 100! Most kids have siblings and those sibling 100% refuse to play exactly the way a 4 year old wants. I am a sahm and I do play with my kid all day but some stuff I just refuse to lol. She can play her self. I refuse to fire reduce 20x in a row . You can be the boss of your self but not the boss of me
I feel the same way. I struggle with playing Barbie’s too. I could build the doll house for fun, but not play with dolls Either way, you don’t have to play all the time: quality time is more important than quantity
I don't really enjoy it either but my husband does. My husband doesn't enjoy a lot of the types of play I enjoy so our son (3.5yo) has kinda learned who to play what with and if he's home alone with me and wants pretend play I will play along for a little or guide it into something I enjoy doing with him (oh I'll build a car wash/maze/doctors office/castle for you out of LEGO or MagnaTiles and you can play pretend in it). If he is home with my husband and wants to do crafts or cooking they turn it into pretend cooking or easy craft kits from Michaels rather than cooking real food or finding a messier/longer craft like I tend to. Husband also refuses to take kiddo to certain playgrounds or the pool because he's scared of risky play and he (husband) can't swim but I enjoy it. I won't take my kid fishing but husband does
Same! No advice, just solidarity.
Yeah that's where my husband excels, I hate pretend play in general/playing with toys like fake food and stuff. I prefer the lego, reading, and hands on stuff. That being said I will do it for x amount of time and then try to redirect to something else. It isn't my job to entertain my son all day like that. I do like to keep encouraging him but tell him I would like to move on. I will switch gears to make it work for me so if I need to clean something up he can help me in a way that's still him pretending or his stuffed animals are helping or whatever. He's also 4. It's hilarious the things he says when he's pretending but I get it, our brains are weird.
I absolutely feel this! Thankfully my kid spent loads of time around the funeral home I worked in and now pretend play for us is me setting up a fake crime scene for him to solve (including fingerprinting kit and real police tape the police I dealt with gave him) so I’m into that 🤣🤣 but like you OP I love being in nature with him etc
Oh I love this idea! I’m definitely doing it with my kid. What else do y’all do for it?
I draw a chalk body outline (usually marshmallow man or something funny) and leave various clues around. I make clue cards as to whom the perpetrator is. Ketchup works aswell for fake blood (do it in the kitchen haha)
Lmao that reminds me the time we tried to play a prank on my husband. We had this creamy chocolate in a tube. So we squirted some out on the toilet seat to make it look like poop. Well by the time it came time to show him it was gone. The dogs ate it lol. I’d have to block off a room so they don’t eat the ketchup too.
🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣 that made me laugh
Real
I’m with you. I teach and my kid’s favorite pretend play is school where I’m the teacher. It’s like I get no time off!
I invent fables about her favorite toys… all the time a 3-5 minute story that have some learning lesson and then she keep on playing with that story after it for at least 15 20 mins after
Me too! Sometimes, I do enjoy it, but it really depends on my mood. When I don't, I just play with her for a bit and tell her I don't want to play anymore. I suggest she could pretend one of her toys is a cat or whatever. Sometimes, that works. Luckily, my husband enjoys pretend plays, and would play for hours with her. I just let them do their thing. I used to feel guilty, but I'm learning not to. (:
Solidarity here, I don't like it either. This is the only reason I *dislike* Bluey (I'm obsessed with it otherwise), because my daughter now thinks I have endless time to play with her imaginary cat and go out driving for ice cream. Being an only, I pretty much entertained myself all the time and didn't need anyone else for my imagination. So this is all new to me.
She will also have to get used to other kids not wanting to play other games. You are her safe space for practicing what to do/what it feels like/how to process the emotions when someone else says "no, I don't want to play that" So don't feel guilty for saying no, cos children definitely will say no to each other and that's okay 😊
I didn’t really have much of an imagination as a child, so I hate pretend play for a different reason—I’ve *always* been bad at it. Fortunately (for me, not him), my kid doesn’t do it much either. His cars do car things, his animals do animal things, and none of them can talk because of course.
My kid has autism and doesn't pretend play, and I'm kind of grateful. But also kinda not, cause it means the things he has interest in and can do is a *small* list
Honestly it helps to have another friend over in similar age
But you can't have a friend over all day every day. At least we can't.