How much do you play with your kids?

I feel guilty a lot because I feel like I should be spending more time with my girls. Honestly, I do spend the majority of the day with them, but whenever I am doing things like checking my email, or working on school work, or reading, I feel like I should be playing with them instead. I know this is probably irrational. Maybe it's because now I am a SAHM I feel taking care of the girls is my "job" and that means being attentive to them 24/7. Not that I don't enjoy it because I do, very much.

So how much time do you really spend playing with your kids or doing things with them if you are a SAHM? Is it a few hours a day or the majority of the day? Part of me says stop worrying but the other part feels guilty when I take any time to do anything I would like to while they are awake. :mellow:

 

hey, I would be happy if mine would play on their own a bit longer, so if they will play by themselves I say let them! My DS would play more on his own but DD has been going thro a stage where if I am at home, I pretty much can't do anything where she can't be right next to me, which means I do meal prep and clean-up and I play with the kids that is about it, wish I had more time when they would just play on their own though oh yeah and I do check my email but she screams for the entire minute that I am out of reach!

 

It really depends on the day. Some days they are content playing by themselves and doing their own thing, and that is when I go on TS, FB etc... Then there are other days that they are super needy and I spend the majority (if not all of) the day playing with them. They are not shy as to tell me what they want, so I just go with their flow.

 

I would say stop worrying. I am not sure how much I "play" with them during the day, never added it up. But mine play pretty well on their own and if I "interrupt" they get kind of annoyed with me, so I will usually wait for them to come get me. I would say it probably adds up to couple of hours per day, if I were too guess.

 

I'm only a SAHM during the summer, but I try to leave them alone quite a bit. They play better when I'm out of sight. I can easily check on them and I'm always listening though. I do go in and play with them for a few minutes here and there, but I frequently leave them alone as long as they seem happy. Like Kyrstyn said, there are days they are much needier. Annelise has had a fever for the past couple of days, so she's getting a lot of cuddles now, but Karina has been happy to play by herself. I'm sure the needs will reverse shortly for whatever reason.

 

I'm also of the belief that if they're happy playing independently, leave them be There are days where I think I SHOULD be playing with them more but overall I am playing with them all day! I'll be on the floor with them a bit, reading, interacting, and when they go off to do their own thing, I usually hop on the computer...sometimes for 1/2 hour sometimes for an hour, depending...eventually, one of both will pull up on the couch and smile at me and I'll focus in again on them. I like that they want to do their own thing and I like it when they seem to tell me they need some attention. As Kyrstyn said, "I just go with their flow."...

 

I don't have a certain amount of time, it just depends on how needy they are on any given today. Right now they are happily playing together in their room so I am enjoying some time by myself! Some days they are all over me so I have to shut the computer and give them attention for most of the day.

 

I feel like I spend all of my time playing with my kids, and wishing they would be more independent so I could get some things done around the house.

 

Lately, my twins have been much more interested in playing with their three year old big sister than with me!
I encourage having all three play together while I clean up from breakfast. Then we all play together for a little while until we pack up to go to story hour, music class, playgroup etc. I do take them somewhere everyday -- even if it's just for a little while. We come home, have lunch, all play for a little while again, and then all three take a two hour nap, AT THE SAME TIME !!!

Usually, my twins wake up first, so I try to concentrate on just playing with them. Next, dinner, baths, stories and bed.

My biggest struggle is that with three kids so close in age, I have very little alone time with any one of them.

I do love it when all of them play together. Hopefully, they will grow up to be a tight knit little group. So, having said all that, I try to go with the flow too. Everything is a stage and seems to change constantly. Needy one minute, independent the next. I just wish my lap was a little bigger to hold all three.

 

I have no idea how to play with them, lol. Usually me playing with them means them fighting to get on my lap and it gets old pretty fast. So I don't spend that much time playing with them, no... They play very well on their own and when they are in that mood, I let them be!

 

I'm usually with them in the play room, unless I'm getting snacks, diapers, putting a load of laundry in the washer. If I try to go and vacuum, or anything out of the room, I may get 10 minutes before they are bellowing for me. We hang on the floor, and sometimes playing with them means me saying "Oh Thank you" when they bring me toys, or being Mommy monkey bars while they climb on me. And even tho the computer is in the play room, too much time on it is a perfect remady for happy independant play, and sure to bring them both crying to me

 

You need to not feel guilty at all about you getting time to things YOU want to do of course within reason. I am usually in the room with my kids but I am not constantly entertaining them. By the time I feed them, give them bottles, dress, bath, bedtime snuggling, and changing pants in between they have already gotten tons of attention! I physically get down on the floor with them a couple of times during the day and sometimes not at all other days but then I may just snuggle one baby at a time then on the couch. I find when I play with them it lasts 10 min max.. then they get bored of me and go play on their own!..lol Its better to not have to constantly entertain them and they will be much better because of it!

 

I try to make a point of reading to them whenever they ask me to, other than that they mostly play on their own. But I imagine that it helps a lot that they have an older brother and sister to play with as well

 

I feel the same way most of the time. My boys play REALLY well with eachother or alone, so it is very easy for me to get busy doing stuff (cleaning, craft project, computer :blush: ) and just leave them alone. Plus most of the time when I try to play with them or teach them things they start fighting, whinning, want to watch ELMO so I end up giving up and leaving them alone again. I get kinda sad when other people come over and can sit on the floor and play with them for hours and the boys will be perfectly happy with THEM!
The summer is helping b/c we go outside and play alot. If I have a day that I don't spend very much time with them I make more of an effort the next day to spend time with them. Even if that is sitting on the floor and playing when they come to me.
:hug:
Jen

 

omg, i thinks it's awesome that you're able to read! the only time i do that is when i'm pumping once/day, and even now i'm often too tired to, even then. i never check email unless they are asleep, which totally sucks (computer is in a small room that they can't get to). if you have found a way to take some time for yourself each day that is AWESOME! i'm really feeling like i'm starting to lose it because i don't or can't. ..... mine do play pretty well together, but our house just isnt set up for them to on their own for long, because i can't really see them from any other room than where they play. occassionally when we open up their area i can sit still long enough to do one task while they wander around the house (not large) but i feel like i have to constantly monitor them.

between all the work i have to do at home and doing the things i have to do w/them--like feed them, clean them, clean up after them, etc, i never feel like i get enough time to play w/them.... so, it's not that i dont want to, it's that i dont feel like i have as much time as i'd like to! what i really need is some awasome twin nanny to come in and show me how's it's done!

you're diong great,
jl