My toddler won't let me DO ANything! - Page 2

[jenP]

My five-year-old has just in the past few months started to play by himself with toys for short periods.
Both my kids were high, high needs from birth and not much for napping (#2 was even a colic baby) and yeah, it sucks never having any time to yourself or even a little break. But, as previous poster said, you can't give them back now! Just got to deal and remind yourself it will eventually change.
Two things that may help: 1, get a babysitter or mother's helper for little breaks. Even just an older neighbor kid, like a 10-year-old, will have some energy and enthusiasm to play with your baby when you are burnt out, so baby is happy and you can read or play guitar or something and recharge your batteries. And because you are actually at home, this kind of help is cheaper. (Warning, though, if your kid is like mine, they know you are home and may refuse to play with anyone else and just scream for mama!)
and 2-try to find things to do with your child that you will find some kind of stimulation or enjoyment in. Try to make you both happy as much as possible, so you don't feel like a total slave to her whims. I always enjoyed painting with the kids, or play-doh, as well as going to the park. Playing with batman action figures, not so much!

Good luck!

Jen

[saoirse2007]

I am flippin losin' it!!!!

I have a 3 1/2 yr old and a 1 yr old..

I just want 30 min to workout!

grrrrrrr!

the 3 yr old does not nap and my 1 yr old barely does....needs me to put her down as I think all cosleeping kiddos do.

my post wont help either one of us, but you are not alone- not a flippin' second for yourself---

I would not be so angry if it were the "norm", but it seems like everyother mom I meet has a tidy house, kids that nap and go to bed early on their own, and to stab my heart today I ran into a friend who is doing the p90x work out disks (she has a 2monthold and a 3 yr old stepdaughterthat is part time) that I gave her because I could not get the freakin time to do them...and her hous eis tidy

[SpartyGuard]

I don't even entertain the idea of having a hobby or interest of my own. I haven't figured out how to get the dishwasher emptied, dinner cooked, etc., let alone anything recreational. I WOH and have a limited amount of time to fit that stuff in as it is so having a toddler underfoot all.the.time gets frustrating real quick! DD just will not play by herself.

I'm lucky in that DH will help when he's around but right now is busy season at work so I'm in single-mom mode.

So yes, OP, I totally hear you and understand your frustration!!

[browneyeNYmomma]

All I can say is THANK YOU for posting this! You have made me feel like I am normal... and not like there is something wrong with my child or that I am a bad mom like some people insinuate!

[dejagerw]

Originally Posted by nia82

on top of it, I have DH's grandma here who will tell me all day how terribly bad I'm doing as a housewife, not cleaning cooking or whatever.

You should tell his grandma that you're not just a housewife. You're a stay at home mom. I consider a housewife someone who doesn't have kids to raise, just a house to keep and food to cook.

[nia82]

@ dejagerw: I know. But I only have to deal with her for 2 weeks a year, so I don't feel like picking a fight. It is horribly annoying though. Comments like: oh let's put the laundry away so your DH won't see it when he comes home! (Seriously, as if he cares. He finds those comments totally funny and ignores it and tells me to ignore it too, but a rough-phase with a toddler with pregnancy is sort of a hard situation, and stuff just gets to me!)... It's also the generation, my grandparents were no different... Yikes. I consider myself a SAHM, and that's a heck of a job! (DH's grandma always worked and took the kids everywhere and thinks SAHMs are lazy anyways - no point in proving myself or whatever!).

[gagin37]

my ds plays well by himself, and once he became mobile, I got a little more freedom. Sure, there are days when he is in my hair and up my butt all.day.long. but I let him do his thing, and he lets me knit or surf the internet. I can't read while he's awake now, and he doesn't nap anymore, so I have to save that for after bedtime. He LOVES the daycare at the YMCA that we belong to, so I go to the gym and swim 4x a week, and that is the bulk of my 'mommy alone' time. dh will keep him sometimes in the evening if i need to lay down before dinner, or on the weekends if I want to run errands alone.

[saoirse2007]

Originally Posted by gagin37

my ds plays well by himself, and once he became mobile, I got a little more freedom. Sure, there are days when he is in my hair and up my butt all.day.long. but I let him do his thing, and he lets me knit or surf the internet. I can't read while he's awake now, and he doesn't nap anymore, so I have to save that for after bedtime. He LOVES the daycare at the YMCA that we belong to, so I go to the gym and swim 4x a week, and that is the bulk of my 'mommy alone' time. dh will keep him sometimes in the evening if i need to lay down before dinner, or on the weekends if I want to run errands alone.

sooo jealous...wish i could afford a gym and or some kind of daycare...closest relative is 3000km away