How do you balance playing with your kids and leaving them to play by themselves/with siblings?
How do you balance playing with your kids and leaving them to play by themselves/with siblings?
This is something I've always struggled with and I think it's put my daughter in a spot where she's very reluctant to do anything by herself.
Don't get me wrong, she plays well with others and her younger brother, but when he's not available she basically just wants to play with me rather than going off on her own and playing by herself.
Now I don't mind, but I wouldn't mind a bit of...not playing time but also I'm worried it's going to affect her going down the line.
Thoughts?
I found time spent playing alone has seen a gradual increase over the years. Once upon a time I could leave them alone for all of 15 seconds before the call of 'daaaaaadeeeee' came along. Nowadays they can manage over an hour by themeselves. I'm hoping this trend continues.
I found that when young they sometimes just need a some attention. If I was busy with something and one came to me wanting me to play with them, I’d say something like, “oh, I really need to do this but OK, let’s play for fifteen minutes and then I’ll go back to to my work.” Keep it positive like you want to play with them.
I might not even play for fifteen minutes if they are too young to tell time on their own. They often just need to be show that this person on whom they depend still cares to give them attention.