I hate fun. Or rather, I hate to BE the fun for my kids. I am no longer afraid to admit that I don’t want to be the constant entertainer for my kids, and I hope I am not alone here!
There are things about being a mom that I truly enjoy. It’s mostly in the little moments where I find pleasure – hearing my son read a book, watching my younger son draw a picture, and seeing them ride bikes together are just a few of those moments. If you notice, none of them include me.
I’m not happy about the idea of getting down on the floor and playing cars with my kids when I’m just going to get yelled at for “doing it wrong.” Umm, no thanks. I’m going to go upstairs to have a moment to myself while you stay down there in the playroom with your brother and make him play with you! Don’t get me wrong, I love those two little maniacs, but sometimes mama needs a break, so she isn’t the one who ends up in time out!
Here is a shortlist of things I hate to do as a mom.
- Imaginary play. I can never get this right. Apparently, you are the stage director, and I am the actress who will let you down every. Single. Time.
- Read 8,000 books right before bed. You’re each getting one, and then it’s lights out. I’m so tired.
- Playing board games. The cheating and whining of young ones is just too much to take and ruins all the fun. I’ll teach you the basic rules, but then you have to play with your brother.
- Going to the beach at high tide. I want to relax, not have to save lives every minute.
- Keeping your artwork. At BEST, I’ll take a pic of it for a digital album. Most likely, it’s going in the recycling bin before we leave pre-K.
- Getting you dressed. I know you can do it yourself. Plus, I never put your socks on correctly, according to you. Put on your own socks!
- Carnivals. Spending a TON of money, feeding you endless amounts of sugar, and then putting you on a ride that spins around? No thanks. Oh, and the inevitable meltdown when we leave? Nu-uh.
- Birthday parties. See above. Tons of money, tons of sugar, tons of meltdowns. Ick. No thank you.
Of course, there are things that I love doing with my kids. I love to read books to them and with them. We enjoy singing and playing games in the car together. I love to hear their stories and jokes. I love to run alongside them as they ride bikes. See? I’m not totally evil… I just hate (some) fun!
