Did you know...

[LynnS6]

...that 9 and 11 years still play house? I wouldn't have thought so, but I've got evidence that they do!

We just got back from vacation, so we're seeing a lot more of the neighborhood kids than we have in a while.

Yesterday, ds (9), dd (6) and a neighbor boy (11) played with their stuffed animals, and it was mostly acting out family scenes. Today another neighbor girl (age 9) is over and they're playing house. Ds is the toddler, dd and the other girl are the parents.

One certainly learns a lot about how others parent by listening to their kids play house. I've only cringed 2 or 3 times when I heard things I've said coming out of their mouths!

[sunnmama]

I'm surprised you're surprised! My 9 yo plays house and school. I remember doing so past that age, as well.

Now you have to share what you heard them say

[LynnS6]

Yeah, I'm surprised that I'm surprised too. I remember (sort of) playing those sorts of games when I was that age, but in this day and age of video games, a lot of 10-12 year olds I know don't do much imaginative play.

I've learned that the worst thing my kids can think of for punishment is a time out. One set of neighbors seems to rely on bribery and threats (grounding) a lot. The other kids have the parents argue a lot and their parents tend to die (the parents are recently divorced, and I suspect this is their way of working it out).

[Mirzam]

My 12 yo (almost 13) DD and 10 yo DS still play house with stuffed animals, but not often. It used to be their favorite game, even a year ago which would have made them 9 and 11. So I am not surprised.

[limabean]

Originally Posted by LynnS6

One set of neighbors seems to rely on bribery and threats (grounding) a lot.

You never know. My DS learned the word "grounded" from a song ("The Mom Song" by Anita Renfroe). He asked what it meant and I told him, and he was pretty intrigued by the idea -- he's brought it up a few more times since then. I can see him incorporating it into imaginative play, but it would be wrong to assume that I use it as a disciplinary measure.