How to Have Fun With Your Kids When You’re the Disciplinarian Parent
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I recently found myself nodding along to someone who posted in one of my mom groups about struggling to have fun with your kids when you’re the disciplinarian parent — or even to have fun by yourself. I thought it might make an interesting discussion here!
Some questions to kick things off:
- Who is the disciplinarian in your house: you, your partner, or both (Nagger in Chief, perhaps)?
- What do you do to have fun with your kids if you’re the disciplinarian parent?
- What do you do to have fun at ALL if you’re “no fun” according to your kids and family?
The mom who posted, a divorced lawyer, loved her career and travel and her kids, but her sister warned her that she was carrying the load and was “no fun.” She was shocked to find that it took her a long time to think of anything she did for fun, past or present, and asked the group for suggestions for meaningless fun.
I had recently discovered this as well — I tend to be the person who is the chief nagger among us and the disciplinarian, while my husband is usually the person who is roughhousing and having fun with the kids. I love my kids… but I kind of realized I could have written the divorced lawyer mom’s post myself.
What I came up with for meaningless fun with myself are things like singing along loudly to music, people-watching, shopping, catching up with friends, going down the rabbit hole of a great show… all of which are things that, um, one doesn’t do with one’s kids.
How to Have Fun With Your Kids When You’re the Disciplinarian Parent
Some of the suggestions from the group included the following, but I’d love to hear your ideas!
- family movie night (or family game show night, like The Floor is Lava)
- family game night
- cook something from a cooking/baking show
- family paddleboarding, kayaking, or tubing
- biking with kids
- making a memory jar throughout the year to open on New Year’s Eve (LOVE this idea)
- trying voices or impressions of family members/friends
- family dance party
- the game Heads Up or other charades games
- Pie Face Game (oh. my. goodness. — did not know this existed)
- electronics-free game days
- “say yes” days when you say yes to anything they ask (1 meeeelion V-bucks coming right up, sir.)
- use sprinkles and food dye in food a LOT
- frisbee
- indoor tent
- water balloon/water gun fight (I actually bought some reusable water balloons last year but haven’t tried them yet…)
- calm fun like art day, paint-by-number, or sticker-by-number
- outdoor movie night in tent in backyard
- make Tik Tok videos
- every so often do something out of character for you, like put a scoop of ice cream on their oatmeal
Do you feel like you’re the “no fun” parent, or like you’re disconnected from your own sense of fun? How do you have fun with your kids when you’re the disciplinarian parent?
Stock photo via Deposit Photos / AntonioGuillemF.
