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I had a tradition where I would take my son out to breakfast every Friday morning. McDonald's, Denny's, Dunkin Donuts etc
I like this too. It's something very simple but that a kid would really look forward to. I was the youngest of four by many years(12 years younger than the oldest, 6 years younger than the nearest) and would have loved such a ritual with either of my parents. I was completely unexpected and while they were good parents in many ways, they pretty much left me on my own in terms of entertainment.
This also reminded me of when my son was 3 and started preschool. I was working part-time and he had a difficult transition from his nanny to the daycare. Every Thursday after daycare we would go to Barnes & Noble. He would play with the wooden trains and we'd read books(and sometimes buy one), and we'd go to Starbucks where he would always get chocolate milk and a fruit cup. I'm getting verklempt just thinking about it - it goes too fast!!
What is a "brother visit?" A visit to the kids' brother or what?
They probably belong to the cult of Jehovah Witness. The schedule....the 'brother' bit....reminds me of a family member that was involved for many years...so no...these kids don't get to have fun or be kids
I grew up in the country, and did not . . .do a lot on weekend.
now I live in the city with my kids. I'm comfortable. We have memberships to Children Museum, Zoo, Science Museum, Railroad museum, botanic gardens, and Athletic club
Normally a weekend is separated into two events. i.e. one downtown (science museum), maybe bring a lunch, then come back.
evening. . we may take advantage of local playgrounds, cook dinner, hang out, library (wooden trains, the two year could do that for HOURS)not much.
My kids are 5 and 2, my five year old would be fine at home playing PC, Wii U, etc. i just can't stay inside all day!
weekdays are normal calmer, with kids getting picked up between 5-6 and we have dinner to make, play some games/etc, bed times start around 7:30 (Younger) and 8:30 (older).
My son just had eye surgery, or we would add swimming to it
I'm hesitant at doing Skiing. . its expensive . . I guess I should get the 5 year old to try it. 125 a pop is a little bit much.
Summer is Soccer, reminds me to re-enroll
almost forgot, normally sunday night (or so) we will do something with their cousins!
Quote:
Originally Posted by HighFlyingBird
When I was a kid my family was very poor and my mom was somewhat of a hermit so the answer for me as a kid was almost never. I went outside and played or hung out in my room. No one had extra curricular activities.
So now I have a 8 and 9 year old, and we are comfortable financially. Their extra curricular is only after school and not on the weekends. They beg every single day off of school to "do something fun". It gets old.
Yesterday we went to their favorite sushi place, then the book store (and they each got a book). Today they are already starting in on me to "do something fun". I'm like...well you guys need hair cuts, and I have massive laundry to do. Not to mention they have some chores to do. They want to go to the museum of natural science or the childrens museum or the zoo. And of course eat out again.
Most of the kids these days around here have packed weekend schedules with soccer, birthday parties, piano, planned play dates. So going out to play is lonely. Still I am feeling like they are a bit spoiled and entitled in this demand we always "do something fun" when they have a day off.
So I am curious about how other families weekends are?
When I was a kid my family was very poor and my mom was somewhat of a hermit so the answer for me as a kid was almost never. I went outside and played or hung out in my room. No one had extra curricular activities.
So now I have a 8 and 9 year old, and we are comfortable financially. Their extra curricular is only after school and not on the weekends. They beg every single day off of school to "do something fun". It gets old.
Yesterday we went to their favorite sushi place, then the book store (and they each got a book). Today they are already starting in on me to "do something fun". I'm like...well you guys need hair cuts, and I have massive laundry to do. Not to mention they have some chores to do. They want to go to the museum of natural science or the childrens museum or the zoo. And of course eat out again.
Most of the kids these days around here have packed weekend schedules with soccer, birthday parties, piano, planned play dates. So going out to play is lonely. Still I am feeling like they are a bit spoiled and entitled in this demand we always "do something fun" when they have a day off.
So I am curious about how other families weekends are?
I am a SAHM. So, when the weekend rolls around, DH is in charge of the 3 kids. The older boys usually have soccer or b-ball games Saturday AM or early PM. After that, he takes them everywhere and anywhere but gets back home for dinner. After dinner, they all play (including DH) whatever in the house (puzzles, board games, Wii U, legos, etc.). FWIW, DH loves taking the kids out. He is not a homebody. Usually, we buy season passes to a couple of places (Zoo, museum, LEGOLAND, etc), so it doesn't drain the wallet. During the year, there is usually a time where the passes are on sale.
We definitely try to make the weekends fun. We don't have a lot of money so it isn't always the kind of fun you have to pay for. We rarely eat out (the one time having a child that doesn't like to eat really pays off). Mine is only 4 too so more things might seem fun to him. But we make even the simple stuff seem fun. We don't watch movies during the week so if we're having an afternoon home on the weekend we act like it's a big deal. We go to the library and let him pick something and I make some kind of special snack and cocoa or whatever. It sounds stupid maybe but it works, he really thinks it's special. lol We go for a long bike ride or a hike in better weather and we have a family membership to the Y so we always are out at least one of the days. It's amazing that if you say something with enough enthusiasm it seems special. We order a pizza once a week and my husband and son eat while playing trains in the basement. You'd think he won the lottery!
I look for inexpensive show tickets or free admissions to museums so that we're doing something like that every other month or so. I also do something special like that with him during the week every month or so. We seem to do and go more than a lot of other people I know but we really weren't ones to sit around before we had a child either. And like so many others have said (too many) my parents were poor and one was drunk so life wasn't often a whole lot of fun. We try to get him out exploring and enjoying the world and expose him to things we didn't get to do as kids. We point out that things are special too though and privileges that we need to appreciate it. When you grow up with little or nothing it's hard not to worry about whether or not you're spoiling a child I think.
Telling them to "go out and play" is child neglect.
Wait. What? Some of my fondest memories involve hanging out in the creek behind my house. Sometimes my friends and I played games. Other times it was just me climbing trees and daydreaming. Child neglect? Hardly.
I live in a relatively small, brand-new neighborhood of about 100 houses. The main street through the neighborhood is about 3/4 of a mile long. The HOA is debating building a park at the far end of the neighborhood. Many of the parents are up-in-arms. That is MUCH too far for their kids to go.
Even some of the people without kids are adamant that it is unsafe if a kid walks 3/4 of a mile. They are usually speechless when I tell them I'd send my 7 and 9 year-olds there together without me (not the 5-year-old, though).
We've been one of the examples in our neighborhood of allowing kids more freedom. My oldest two have permission to range about a 1/2 mile away as long as they are together and we know where they are going. It's inspired a few of their friends' parents to also relax the boundaries a bit.
peoples perception of safety have . .been misaligned for a while. We do tend to over-react. The chances of something happening to your kids at that age. . .are really insignificant.
yet what sticks with us is. . .the cases we see on Americans most wanted or the scary stories like Lonley Bones. .
Oh well -
Quote:
Originally Posted by Aggiebuttercup
I live in a relatively small, brand-new neighborhood of about 100 houses. The main street through the neighborhood is about 3/4 of a mile long. The HOA is debating building a park at the far end of the neighborhood. Many of the parents are up-in-arms. That is MUCH too far for their kids to go.
Even some of the people without kids are adamant that it is unsafe if a kid walks 3/4 of a mile. They are usually speechless when I tell them I'd send my 7 and 9 year-olds there together without me (not the 5-year-old, though).
We've been one of the examples in our neighborhood of allowing kids more freedom. My oldest two have permission to range about a 1/2 mile away as long as they are together and we know where they are going. It's inspired a few of their friends' parents to also relax the boundaries a bit.
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Man you must run in different circles than us!
