Un padre dice que no le gusta jugar con su hijo y pregunta si es normal

If you’re a parent you know that sweet phase when your baby is just cooing and giggling quickly turns into a toddler phase which is not that fun. Well, almost not fun at all if you ask some people.

Parenting isn’t always the most enjoyable experience and we don’t talk about it enough. Sure, there are some really special moments, like when your baby smiles for the first time or says their first word. But then they become toddlers and want you to play with them all the time.

This is when I started questioning everything. Why do I hate playing with my child so much? I don’t even know how to play with them and parece más una tarea tediosa que un momento de unión.

So you can only imagine my relief when I found out I’m not the only one and a lot of parents struggle with this. One dad asked Reddit how they feel about playtime with their toddlers. 

“Does anyone actually enjoy playing with their child/children?”

Un reciente en Reddit sparked discussion among parents. Apparently a lot of people don’t really enjoy playing with their kids, especially toddlers. A dad started his post by saying:

“As basically all parents do I really love my son and there are some really enjoyable moments as well as some really difficult and exhausting moments. So far so normal and expected.”

Antes de ser padre, esperaba disfrutar pasando estos momentos con su hijopero pronto la realidad le golpeó con fuerza. Continuó:

“But one thing bothers me. Before becoming a parent I expected that playing with once child would be quite enjoyable… But it’s sooooo incredibly boring. I really have to try hard to seem interested and not give away that I’d rather do something else.”

Rápidamente se dio cuenta de que empujar coches de juguete todo el tiempo no era realmente como se imaginaba la paternidad.

Creo que no hay ni un solo padre que pueda decir que la paternidad ha resultado exactamente como la había imaginado. Todos nos embarcamos en ese viaje ilusionados con la idea de que ser padres solo nos deparará momentos divertidos y dulces. 

Pasado un tiempo, esta sensación inicial desaparece y nos convertimos en esclavos de las aburridas rutinas diarias. Es entonces cuando nos damos cuenta de que Mantener entretenido a un niño pequeño puede ser bastante abrumador y agotador. 

And it’s not that we’re tired of our kids or don’t love them, that’s far away from the truth! We simply don’t find joy in little things they are just discovering for the first time. 

I know you may feel guilty and I did too! However, this is a completely normal part of parenthood and there’s nothing to worry about. 

El padre terminó el post diciendo que espera que las cosas cambien cuando su hijo crezca. Otros padres le apoyaron y compartieron sus consejos. 

If you think playing with toddlers is boring, you’re not alone

Reddit users quickly validated dad’s feelings saying they feel the same about playtime with their kids. Many shared their own experiences and how they cope with this problem.

El mensaje común de todos los comentarios era el mismo; while playtime is crucial for kids, it’s also normal for parents to find it monotonous.

One parent shared their struggles with pretend games and said while she enjoys board games and card games she can’t stand playing with Barbies or anything similar. This was the top comment for a reason because apparently, it’s what bothers other parents as well.

Todos dijeron les molesta que sus hijos pasen por la fase imaginativa del juego y quieren que los demás jueguen con ellos exactamente como desean. Sin embargo, no todos están de acuerdo y dicen que en realidad les encanta esto:

“I enjoy very much playing pretend with my 4-year-old. She has a great imagination and makes up fun and interesting scenarios. They are often removed enough from reality to be entertaining to me. I also guide the game to a place where I get to enjoy myself.”

Otro padre dijo la verdad que nadie quiere admitir:

“I really don’t enjoy playing, no. I do play and try to fake it for their good, but mostly I try to do the things that I do enjoy: reading or art. And I watch them do the other things and let them tell me about it. But playing pretend makes me want to ram my head into a brick wall, so I keep that to a minimum.” 

The dad replied to her thread and wrote he’s now relieved knowing other people feel that way as well. 

Algunos usuarios compartieron lo que les ha ayudado a lidiar con sus hijos pequeños. A lot of parents try playing with their kids only when it comes to something they actually enjoy. In other cases, they encourage them to play alone as that’s also important. 

La clave es encontrar algo que os guste hacer a los dos. so you can make the most out of your time together. Being a parent isn’t easy with everything we have to do and then to always be ready to play with kids on top of that is almost impossible sometimes. So don’t be hard on yourself! 

It’s all about finding balance. You need to make sure your child is getting the development they need but also don’t forget about your well-being.