Tuesday, March 11, 2008

Poll Results

I must be the worst mother ever. Out of the four votes, 3 of you voted that you played with your kids every day. I was the only one who said that I hardly ever play with my kids. So how do you mothers do it? 

It's not to say that I don't give my kids any attention because that's not true. We read together or watch cartoons together, but to actually sit on the floor and play My Little Pony or fairies doesn't happen too often. It's like I have forgotten how to play. I sit there and don't know what to do. My inner child is appalled with myself that I could lose such an important skill. And when I do sit down to play I keep thinking about the laundry that needs to be folded or the dirty dishes in the sink. Moira is old enough that she can play board games or cards and I enjoy that. It's the imagination games that I have trouble with. I feel awful that I don't do more with my kids. Trying to fit play into my daily list of chores is difficult. It's one more thing I have to fit in to my already short days. There must be a healthy balance between work and play. I just haven't found it yet.

Check out my new poll. I came up with it at 4 am this morning when I couldn't sleep. 

9 comments:

ManicMandee said...

Robyn,

I hardly ever play with my kids. So I guess I am bad too. But when I do play with them, they think it's a huge deal and I feel like supermom.

Anonymous said...

In regards to your new poll, I always sleep on my right side because that's how I nurse Lane. So I love to sleep on my left - it gets ignored. But he always wakes up when I turn - I'm like darnit Lane, let me sleep on my left side!

Robyn said...

Lise - I know how you feel. I nurse Liam in my side, but I would rather sleep on my tummy. Just when I think he is sound asleep and it's OK for me to move, he wakes up and wants me. Once in a while when I do get to sleep in my tummy it feels like bliss.

Anonymous said...

I know, isn't that funny? I'm just like - ahhhh, it feels so good to sleep on my left side. Like I'm exercising different muscles somehow!

Anonymous said...

...and one day when the babies are very big we will laugh that we used to get so much enjoyment out of sleeping positions - or that it was even a topic of conversation!

Robyn said...

Thanks, Amanda, for hardly playing with your kids too. I feel a lot better. I did make an effort this morning and played My Little Pony before Moira had to go to school and she has opted to play again tonight instead of stories before bed. I figure that at least I'm trying. Hopefully Moira won't expect too much from me all at once.

Robyn said...

So now that I'm trying to make more of an effort to play with Moira it's already going down hill. She wanted to play this morning before school. By the time I finished what I was doing there really wasn't any time to get something going. Moira got mad at me for cutting into her play time. Just because I wasn't willing to drop everything right then and there she had a bit of a temper tantrum. This is the thanks I get for putting in a little bit of effort. Now Moira thinks she can demand so much from me. What have I done?!

Anonymous said...

I usually only play with Connor everyday and that's because he is three and demands it. If I'm not there to catch the ball he is throwing I end up getting hit in the face!! The other kids are older and don't really "play" the way they used to when they were younger. Caitlin would still like to but Emily won't - at 10 she is already too grown up for that!! But I know what you mean about Moira -it seems as if as soon as you do something nice or "special" with them they expect it all the time. What does that mean? That we shouldn't do anything nice for them?!

Robyn said...

Erica - The saying "Give an inch and they'll take a mile" totally applies to Moira.