Here is a sample of one our days from last week:
Anyone else?
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I’ve found that the more fun things we do, the more fun things they WANT to do. It’s better to not ever do anything.
Last Friday was the first day of summer! I was going to post this on that day but I was too busy celebrating. (Celebrating = eating ice cream. Don’t you know me at all?)
YES. I swear my kids siphon energy off me – I just want to take a nap!
Right?! Someone once told me that we have as much energy now as we ever had. Children seem like they have more energy because they have to power a lot smaller bodies.
I maintain that it’s a superpower that they have, and that they lose this ability over time. I certainly don’t have the power to suck the energy out of someone, but my 4-year old boy does!
Energy vampires!
My little boy’s favorite question right now is “And then where/what?” Example: “After daycare, where are we going to go?” Me: “to the pool!” Him: “Yay! And then where?” As if the pool is not enough any more.
I’ve had the same conversation my little dude.
Ditto.
My son says, “Where are we going now?” I say, “Home.” His response is always, “No, I don’t want to go home, let’s go to the park!”
I get the “No, I don’t want to go home!” a lot, too. Lately her choice has been, “Let’s go to the hotel!” Clearly, we spend too much time at the beach. 😛 Even today, when we were packing up to leave the hotel, she didn’t want to go home. She wanted to go to the hotel [which we were trying to leave]! The hotel is more exciting than the beach, apparently.
I wonder, will they one day appreciate the sacrifices we make for their fun? Right now I am doing a crazy work at home–camp drop off–office–camp pick up–work-at-home schedule.
Me too! I do have someone else to pick them up, but I have the added downside of a traveling spouse for two weeks…
yup – hear you! Trying to fit work in while keeping energetic bodies entertained – and not killing each other. I give up and crash in the afternoons.. tv is a wonderful thing for a nap. hang in there mommies!
Me too! Glad to read I’m not the only one. 🙂 Blessed to be able to work from home. I start work at 530a to be able to be ready to make pancakes by 8 when my munchkins roll out of (my) bed. Work off and on intermittently throughout the day, then back on after 8p when my little dolphins go back to bed. The sacrifices we make are rewarded with ice-cream-smiles and hugs. Hang tough, work-from-home sistas! Thank goodness we’re in this together.
Yes the camp work camp pick up now swim team then work at home summer schedule! Why oh why do I count down the days to summer vacation with my 8 year old? I think it is a living vicariously thing. Glad I am not alone on this one. Oh and btw it is day one of this schedule and I am already b!/(/ing!
Because we homeschool, summer has actually felt relaxing! The self-imposed pressure to do something educational during a day like this is off so I can be more present in summer.
Getting ready for a fun-filled summer day right now!!!
Hah, and here I was thinking that we homeschool so I feel like this year round not just in summer! I think Amber homeschools too, doesn’t she?
We homeschool year round, but we have a lot more scheduled educational items on our plate during the school year, because that’s when they’re available. Art class, skating lessons etc. In the summer, all that stuff goes on hiatus, so it’s a break for us, too. Plus, as Nicole said, it’s harder in the summer to want to worry about it, when there’s park and swimming and biking to attend to! 😉
Makes sense. We pretty much keep the same schedule year round and our classes don’t go on summer break.
We home school and love the summer too! We have year round lessons but during the summer we switch into “unschooling” mode.
We homeschool too but I gotta say, summers are harder for because our weekly park meetings are on hold.
Yeah as a homeschooler I definitely feel like I’m on a break – no lesson planning, no cajoling, no fighting to get a 7 year old to write… heaven.
I remember being like this as a kid! I remember that the drive home from anything fun was all about whining that it was over and wanting the next fun thing. Oh, mom, I’m so sorry.
Summer seems to last forever! When they get older and you can put them into various summer camps, etc, It.Doesn’t. Change. A. Thing. Then you just get to drive them everywhere and feel guilty for not taking them to the pool, the library, and the park.
http://www.momintwocultures.com/2013/06/summer-epic-saga-part-1.html
“What are we going to do fun today?” I have heard that every day, multiple times a day, since school got out. Doesn’t matter if they just played with their cousins or went to the zoo or went hiking.
Yes.
Sooooo true!!! Drives me nuts!
LMFAO, this is just SO spot on!
Have you been following me around and spying on us again? I swear we had the exact same day last week.
Well, you have two choices, my loves… We can play “Rub Mommy’s Feet” or “Play Quietly In Your Rooms”. Now, who’s up for “Rub Mommy’s Feet”?
Love this! We do something similar when mommy needs “mom time”: #1. play quietly in your room for an hour (or separate rooms, if it’s that kind of day) OR #2 take a nap. They always decide #1 is the way to go. 🙂
LOVE THIS. No idea why I never gave them these 2 choices before!! Thanks for my first smile of the day! 🙂
Yes! My 3yo considers himself the chief foot masseur in our household and wants to show off his skills nightly. If only there were more to it than pinching my feet… 🙂
TOTALLY get it! Last week we had a summer program going on in the morning so it made life even more crazy. I want to just stay home and relax this week before swim lessons start. Summer is going to be done in a blink of an eye
So funny! Because it’s true!
Same at our house. My kids are in camp during the week while I’m at work but on the weekends it’s just go-go-go from the pool to the park to lunch, etc. and then when we get home in the evening my son will say “we only did 5 fun things today!! That’s not fair!” while I collapse on the couch. Youth is wasted on the young.
That is where you went wrong! Keep their expectation low so they don’t expect much each day!! Duh!!! 😉
Oh god yes. LOL
This happens here all the time. You are right, the more we do the more they WANT to do. Last week here was camp which means they spent yesterday wandering aimlessly with no idea of what to do when two weeks before they would have been running around making up games and playing in the woods.
I have found that no matter the activity, it’s just never what my kids wanted. We spend all day at the park and I hear complaints that they wanted to play with the neighbors next door. We stay home so the kids can play with the neighbors, and they wanted to go to the park. They can play outside because the weather is awesome, but they want to stay inside and watch TV. They can’t go outside because of rain or cold and they want to go outside, they are bored with the TV/toys/whatever. SIGH!
Yes! No matter what! Ridiculous.
Yes indeed, no matter how much we do in a day they still have the energy to do more. I’m only on week 1 of summer vacation and I’m exhausted.
This is what it is, “the more they do, the more they want to do’!!! Bingo! Last week we had nothing going on and they were mostly happy at home but this week we’ve started some classes and they can’t stand being at home.
One time our daughter swam in a friend’s pool from noon until 6 or 7 that evening. When we said it was time to go, she acted like we were the meanest parents in the world, “I’ve hardly gotten to swim AT ALL!”
Yes, exactly our lives right now too!
Each year I look forward to summer but two weeks in I’m exhausted. Course then when school starts next fall I’m exhausted then too. I can’t win!
Yup. I have ONE kid in a day camp, so it means we’re up early, at the playground early, going going going, then just when the younger ones are starting to flag, we have to go get the big sister. And I have to squeeze in fun mother/daughter time with her too, somehow. Zzzzzzz….
OMG! Yes! Last weekend, I drove 45 minutes to a birthday party, then took them to lunch (since we were out of town), got ice cream, walked through fun shops, played at the play area and drove 45 minutes home. They seriously wanted to play a game with me after I flopped on the couch. I told them being a fun mom is tiring and I needed a rest. Why I felt like the worst mom ever for saying that, I’m not sure.
yeah I’m less than a week from my due date of my 4th child and its hot outside. We’re mostly staying in the air conditioning. They are watching more tv than I’d like but I figure a few weeks of too much tv and not enough outside time won’t kill them and I can make it up to them a little more later in the summer. Plus the husband usually comes home from work and gets them outside for a bit lol
Okay, first of all, you are setting the bar way too high. That’s a whole week’s worth of activities for us. 😉 Just kidding. I’m blessed that we have a neighborhood full of kids so I can just send them outside for good times.
Second, I *love* that the boys are facing each other in the lunch and ice cream pics. That is exactly how my boys are.
i hate the dreaded question… ‘what are the plans for today?’ why can’t y’all just watch tv ALL DAY?!
If my 4y old asks me one more time what we are going to do tomorrow….in the morning…after lunch….after nap…I am going to scream. Screaming……
Only ever single day of my life. But I’ve found the answer: Camp. I love camp. My kids may hate it, but I don’t care. I love it.
Yes and every day!
This is soooo true!
Oy, the constant “but what is there to do today?” is driving me batty.
You are setting the bar too high and making me look bad! My kids are lucky to do any one of those things once a week or less. They still complain.
We homeschool so it can feel like this at any time of the year! In summer we relax a bit though and allow ourselves many more lazy days.
I get this every weekend, summer or winter, rain or shine. My 3 year old pops out of bed and asks, “Can we go somewhere special?” And after being told we have errands to do, shopping so we can eat (often met with “I don’t want to eat”), or whatever, the next sentences is, “But can we go somewhere special???”
The 5 year old just whines about going to Target again. Our home away from home!
I think you hit the nail on the head with the more they do the more they want to do part. I think you were joking but there is a lot of truth in it!
My eldest does this too… pretty much the same way. He’s 10. I’ll say “Daniel, we’re going to go to the grocery store and then go to the park.” And I’ll get “But what ELSE are we going to do today?!”
I totally agree that doing nothing is better sometimes LOL. After a fun filled day I come home exhausted and as soon as we are through the door and the fun is over my son starts in with “I’m boooored!”.
I’ll go ahead and say that I hate summer vacation. I love my kids but being in charge of them all day every day with no breaks wipes me out. I have no idea how homeschoolers do it.
O.M.G!! This is so true!! The more we do, the less they appreciate, and it gets to a point where it’s never enough.
SO true! Haha!
I’m guessing most of you have young children. Mine are in the tween/young teen age, but I remember those days well. The solution for me was to stop taking them anywhere. I used to love going to store (in the evening or on weekends so my husband could spend some quality time with the kids). It was so peaceful walking thru the aisles. Sometimes grocery shopping would take hours. Now their just happy if I take them anywhere. We do special activities once a week at most. Definitely lower the expectation! The down times are when they grow the most.
I couldn’t agree more! I’m planning my grocery store trip for tomorrow night as we speak. Normally I try to take my two toddlers with me but Old Mother Hubbard’s cupboard is looking pretty bare lately, so it’s going to be a big shop. I’m kind of excited.
My older kids are going to VBS this week. I feel a little guilty because I don’t miss them at all…nope, not at all! Enjoying peace and quiet while the baby naps and spending a little time with the baby without big brothers interfering. I think we need more VBS
Yay, VBS!
Oh my – I so love this! Also, is it September yet?
No doubt.
SO TRUE!
My eldest (4) has started the annoying habit of asking me “What are we going to do tomorrow?” while we are still doing whatever it is we’re doing today. So I’ve started the annoying reply of, “Let’s finish today, & then we’ll talk about it.” I’m now enforcing days home.
YES! It’s funny ’cause it’s true!
I have a different situation going on in my house. My 9 year old is only interested in going outside to have Nerf wars with his friend, and actually gets upset if we have to leave the house. Makes it kind of rough when we do actually have things to do. We took him to Disney after school was out, as a celebration for getting good grades all year, and he actually complained that he would rather be home having a Nerf war. WTF, what kid complains about going to Disney?? Yay for low expecations I guess, takes the pressure off.
Oh yes, picked up the boy from camp and the first words out of his mouth (well, after “I have to pee”) were “What are we going to do for fun today?” Ummmm wasn’t superhero camp fun enough? Certainly it was more fun that mom had at grocery store camp.
LOL, grocery store camp….
Yes! This is my life!…. counting up to the first day of school!
I hate when I decide today’s activity is swimming and we get home and it’s only 9am 🙁
Yep.
A-Stinking-MEN!
On the way home from the Crayola factory (planned trip, months of detailed organization, planning, coordinating) we made an impromptu stop at Hershey park. Imagine waking up from a nap, in a chocolate factory?? Yeah, Sunday was a pretty fantastic day =)
Next morning, 3yo was like, “can’t wait to see what you have in store for me today, guys! Wait–what?! Daycare?!?”
Heheheh…this is where the teachers laugh and point.
I refuse to be their cruise director on this slowly sinking ship called Mommy. They really are never satisfied. The only one who will play contentedly is my 2 yr old daughter as where my 3 older boys run around being insane and loud and complaining. I will just close my eyes and choose to see my version of or Titanic summer… Hold me Jack…..
Just like dogs!! The more exercise you give ’em, the more they want. (yes, I do have kids, but I’m thinking about my pre-kid days…before my dogs got demoted)
My son is the SAME WAY! Even if it’s almost bedtime, he still wants to do more. Which is awesome that he wants to be active, but not awesome when I am EXHAUSTED! lol “Mom, we didn’t do anything today. I’m so BORED!” 😛
Love the illustrations; they are a riot! Yes, I am completely right there with you! Unfortunately. :o)
– croppedstories@gmail.com
If someone else drove me around, brought me to my friends, helped me pick up all my stuff, and fed me I am sure that I would have A LOT more energy! 🙂
Yup! Not a truer word was spoken! Ah … written!
Ha!
Yes!! And never allow anyone that plays with them more than you do into the house! My mother plays with my son the ENTIRE time she’s watching him. Then when I get home he’s all “You NEVER play with me!!”.
I’m so mean, I’m like, “Isn’t it hot? Lets go swimming! I just have to do all of these chores first… Help me so we can go. We need to get them done by this time or we cant go.” Haha, do chores first!
And I thought it was funny that the first thing my daughter says when she wakes up is “mama what where we going today?”, even though she goes to nursery every weekday. Even then before we get out of bed she’s planning what she wants to do after school. And its never being home.
I tell them they need to find something to do, but there are three “no’s”: no TV, no iPad, and no Mom!
My daughter’s question of choice: “Now do, Mama?” This time of day (6pm)…sleep daughter…SLEEP.
You surely hit the nail on the head with this one!!!
daughter has the idea that reading the newspaper or a book is not relaxing for me. I must watch television, but it must be a show of her choosing. I was just out weeding the raspberry patch (weeds higher than my head. In Seattle if you turn around for 5 minutes giant weeds sprout up out of every surface and threaten to engulf the house) and my daughter and her girlfriend called me in for a special treat. Out of the corner of my eye I saw that every surface of the kitchen was covered with supplies; the floor had what looked like bloody (hopefully raspberry juice) footprints on it; sink was full of dishes. They sat me at the table, and using her best announcer voice (combo of Inspector Clouseau and Inspector Who) served me a raw kale salad dressed with olive juice, plain water colored dark blue with cherries (unpitted) in it, and a freezer-burned yogurt pop and room temperature chocolate-strawberry-raspberry milkshake (I’m dairy intolerant). As I plowed through the special treat, they serenaded and danced. And then they left me with the dishes. Because that’s very relaxing. And special.
Hooray for another Mom embracing my “it’s better not to do anything” philosophy! (You can’t fool me though. I saw all those charity projects and business ventures in previous posts.) If I play one game of hide-and-seek, I pay for it for days. Nope. The house is full of toys, the yard is full of hoses and damp towels, there are siblings to fight with. My rule is “I don’t play.”
My mom was like that: “I don’t play with you. Go on, get outside until I call you in.” (I’m assuming you are a lot nicer and truly loving.) And when we were called in: “Don’t make any messes.” She’s alone now. Sad, but we were pushed away too much to be close to her, although we really, really tried.
HAHAHA Amber, can you do an illustration of Betsy’s story please? That’s hilarious.
My kids aren’t in school yet (2 and 4), but every weekend is like this! Friday: “What we do ‘amorrow mummy?”
We’ve got swimming lessons in the morning, then we are going grocery shopping and maybe to the playground in the afternoon, if you are good. (What we do virtually EVERY Saturday)
“Can we go to the park now?” It is 7pm at night, you are in your pyjamas and we are just about to go brush your teeth to get ready for bed. “So we can go park after brushy teef?” No!!!
Tell me about it!!!!!
Go to movies, eat special treats, read books, play games, and 5 minutes later,”im bored!!”
My kids ask me EVERY single day “Mom what are we doing and where are we going and who with????” and they are 4 and 3 years old. And amen to this post – is IS to do with taking them lots of fun places and then them wanting to do more fun things constantly…I’m glad I’m no the only one!!!! My Mom says it’s revenge. I was an only child who’s favourite term was “I’m bored”…only my 2 haven’t learned the b word yet!!
Yep…It’s called The No Mercy Concept of Childhood.
Oh lordy, yes. So true.
LOL!
What about family vacation ? Here , either we rent or go camping (cheaper) but it never feels like a vacation : I still have to ger up to make breakfast for the kids , I still have to do some tent cleaning , still have to make some beds , still have to cook, still have to make some clothe washing , PLUS have to wash the dishes cause there is no dishwasher , it’s like going from one house to an other
When you get back home , you have to unpack the car , do TONS of laundry , make sure everything is back in place , and then you got your husband/boyfriend/partner saying “oh what a wonderfull time we had ! ”
AAAAaarrRRRRgggghhhh
Ha, I hear you on this one! We got our girls a pool and that’s all they want to do. “Can we go in the pool?” “Can we go in now?” “When are we going in the pool?”
I think the main reason kids ask what they’re going to do next is to be anchored in their day. They don’t need lots of special activities that wear out their caregivers. They want predictable days with special moments.
When I was a teacher, the schedule was a daily routine with one or two special things added for delight. There was a lot of built-in time for their creative contributions. As a mom, I included child’s-view in planning our days, and we did chores/errands on the way to experiencing some fun focal point.
Kids like to be active, yet they really need downtime (self-reflection, not passive input like TV), because that is when their brains consolidate learning and they become smarter.
Hilarious! Can totally relate! After a day of playing trains, superheroes, PlayDoh, Legos, outside on the playset and coloring, when asked by Daddy what they did today, they said, “Nothing.”
Just like “what did you do in school today ? ”
response is either
– nothing
or
– I don’t remember
This seems rather familiar to me.
Hello 🙂 I’m visiting from Arete Aspirations blog where she mentioned your blog in a recent post. Love this. My little boy is only 4 months old, but he is already demanding that he be entertained constantly!
YES! Except if one tiny thing goes wrong at the end of that fun day, even something so minor and seemingly insignificant – my 4 year old will say “THIS is NOT the best day EVER. NOTHING good happened TODAY!”
OMG this all rings so true. I had come to think that we had taken a wrong turn with my now 7 yo only child, that from an early age we had allowed ourselves to be the cruise directors and entertainment providers of the weekends. We are trying now more to lower expectations and have him learn how to be bored. It’s a very important skill! He’s still up at 6 am on weekends and days when there is no school… ready for all the fun stuff we may or may not have planned. And the second I show my yawning, blinking face, it’s “Mom, what are we going to do fun today?” And, “Can we have someone over today?” It’s good to hear many others have kids like this too!
And the thing is, all I remember from summer vacation when I was 7 or 8 was sneaking off to a secluded corner to read book after book. Gosh, my mom had it easy in some ways 🙂 I couldn’t possibly be forgetting anything, could I?
I can relate to this!
Hahaha. This. Is. My. Life. And then they MAKE me stir crazy when we are in the house so *I* want to get out!
This is just too funny, not only do my 3 kids do this but my youngest (5) recently learned it’s not ALWAYS about him! He came with me and my preteen daughter dress shopping and in the store of course he wanted me to buy him anything (even a dress). I patiently was explaining that though I knew it was hard for him, but we were there only for a dress. He proceeded to tell EVERYONE in the store “I get NOTHING all day, the only thing I got is a CHEESEBURGER” lol.
Too funny. Sometimes I dread waking up in the morning. Either I’m a good mom and we get outside, or I’m a bad mom and the DVD starts a spinning.
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