It's the season of useless holidays and snow days (if we ever get a real winter). This used to mean relaxation and down time for me. Since the birth of my son, it means preschool closure and ramped up responsibility. Fortunately, it's not an upsetting time. I've figured out how to make these little gifts of time fun.
My new solution is to pretend I'm the babysitter. House rules still apply, but I try to inject as many off-beat events into the day as possible. If you ever read The Babysitters' Club YA books as a child, you're on to my suggestion.
The characters in the series carried boxes packed with activities for their babysitting charges. We can do something similar as parents.
Fun stuff to do
Finger paint. Yeah, I'm with you, I hate creating giant messes and thus more work in my house. There's a way to make this activity stress-free, though. Purchase water-soluble, washable, children's finger paint and a notepad of white paper, put the kids in pajamas or other clothes that can handle a stain or two, and jump into the biggest tub in your home. Once their masterpieces are complete, you can hose down the play area.
Build a fort. One of my 3-year-old's favorite activities is to crawl through the fort my husband made. It only took a few large cardboard boxes and some duct tape to build this cheap haven. Couch cushions or a table with sheets will also work if you get creative.
Have a dance party. Turn on the radio or tune the television to the music stations and boogie. Nothing is required except the energy to move your butt. Young kids especially appreciate your willingness to bounce around with them.
Go swimming. Though the weather outside is decidedly not frightful, water play still isn't on many minds. Surprise the kids with a trip to Leesburg Ida Lee Recreation Center. The indoor pool will brighten everyone's spirits. My son hugged and kissed me when I took him one Saturday morning.
Fun food
Pizza. Go ahead and call for delivery. It's not the healthiest option, but it sure is the easiest and most fun. We can all get back to organic tofu when schedules are normal again.
Fun television
Kids' movies. If all else fails, plop your kids in front of the boob tube and veg out. You're making sure little junior has the best education on normal days. His toys teach math, reading, and quantum physics. You both could probably use the break. If it'll make you feel better, try one of the PBS shows. Dinosaur Train, for example, is ridiculously informative.
Whatever you do, remember to loosen up and have fun. By the end of the day, you and your kids will love life and look forward to the next silly day off.
I just find the comparison of real parents to a fictional series on babysitters a bit much, too. Real life babysitters rarely bring bags of activities, games, etc. Usually, they are texting on their phones the entire time, going outside for a smoke, or generally ignoring your kids. Those few parents who do find the gem babysitters who will play games, etc., with their kids are very lucky and should hold on to those sitters! In my experience, I haven't found babysitters to be that engaged and so I hold myself and all parents to a much higher standard. Preschool/nursery school teachers and elementary school teachers, of course, are usually exceptional at planning enriching activities and do a great job of it. It is their passion and they take pride in it. I learned the most by watching other parents who had been doing this longer, and using my own imagination and spirit.
Again, ideas = great. Premise = silly, sad. This article could be written from the premise of 'here are some great ideas to things to do with your kids' rather than recommending parents "pretend" to be the babysitter. Again, I have not have great experiences in finding babysitters to be that creative. I never said I had "better" ideas--although this column could be written 100 times by 100 people and have different ideas--I simply took issue with its premise/approach. I'm sure you can see the difference.
To your Patch writer: Your ideas of what to do with kids are common sense. Who doesnt do stuff like bake cookies and get out the board games and such when everyone's together on a snowday? My Mom used to have us take turns readiing from a novel while the others did chores in the rooms when we were all home. Or we'd turn on the tunes while we all cleaned house and dance around freeform. Hate to say this but "Duh!" What's off-base with your little story is the idea that you have to pretend you are a babysitter to do together-at-home stuff that's fun. Just omit that part and you have a column that might remind people to pull out the fudge recipe when it's snowy. The babysitter angle is off the wall and throws off your message. I got all tangled up in the idea that a parent wouldnt think to do these things but a babysitter would? Surely you have a list of stuff-we-always-do-together.
--------"The characters in the series carried boxes packed with activities"-------- When my daughter was preschool age, I kept special bags of goodies, one in the car - only used when we were travelling and one in the closet that was only for rainy days. It made those toys and those days really special for both of us. So THANK YOU Nicole for reminding me to sprinkle a little whimsy on those days of boredom. XD
Thank you, Nicole, for reminding me, that I don't have to be a parent all the time and I can be silly with my little ones. signed: a dad
- personally, i could care less about the approach of an article - I care more about the point of it. And the point I took from it was be creative with your kids. Which i am happy to have been reminded to do by reading this article. - instead of debating approach, and having no constructive feedback relating to that in your original post (your words: "I did WAAAAY more interesting and fun things with my kids than any babysitter by a long shot.") Oh really? like what? How about sharing your wealth of 'on the job training experience' with the rest of us mindless parents who defer parenting skills to babysitters? - I actually understood Ms Skuba's point of 'thinking like a sitter' as someone looking at their current situation in a different light. Instead of playing with the toys in the normal ways, think about how someone who doesn't know how they typically play with those toys might. Creative thinking...and the ultimate point of the article. In my opinion. - in the end, why do you care if 'we' do or don't pretend to be what we are or are not. Instead of negative comments (starting with your negative title), try being constructive, useful and share your knowledge.