I Am The Entertainer

Why do I constantly need to entertain my children? For some reason, they don't seem to possess the ability to play by themselves or with each other - at least not for any length of time or without hurting one another. Daddy gets about a 5-10 minute break ever couple of hours before he has to go back on stage. When you have two children who don't nap, that's a lot of performances without an intermission. I'm mean, I feel like I'm giving CATS a run for it's money.

When I was young, my parents didn't have to constantly keep my busy. I had a box of crayons, a Mighty Men & Monster Maker and a bunch of Legos to keep me occupied. I played for hours outside with friends - we would play "Chase" (a variation of hide-and-seek played with teams) until it was pitch black out and we HAD to go in because we couldn't see anymore. Today, my wife and I wonder why we never see kids outside playing. We go for walks around the neighborhood and sometimes never see a single child outside. Where are they? Inside watching TV or playing X-Box or whatever. But I'm getting sidetracked here...

My kids are obviously still too small to play outside by themselves, but they have plenty of toys inside to keep them happy. They just won't play with them for any extended period of time. They get bored. And when they get bored, they get cranky. And when they get cranky, I get cranky. And then nobody's happy.

I play with them as much as I can. I let them climb all over me in the playroom. I pick them up and pretend to throw them on the couch. I tickle them. We bake. We paint. We read stories. We go for walks. We play in the yard. We go to the mall. We go over a friend's house. We usually engage in at least one of these activities every day.

Now don't get me wrong, I LOVE doing these things with my children. It's just that, sometimes daddy needs a rest. I can't keep that pace up every day - day-in, day-out. Sometimes I need a break, and most of the time, my kids won't give it to me. The only way to get my 4-year-old to sit still without whining is to turn on the TV. I don't mind doing this for a show or two, but beyond that, I feel bad that she's just sitting there watching TV. My 2-year-old NEVER sits still - not even when the TV's on. She's a menace right now and climbs on everything to get at anything. She would kill herself if I didn't keep a constant eye on her.

Have my wife and I spoiled our children by having been home with them for every single day of their lives? Is there such a thing as spending TOO much time with your kids? Are they still just too young to really want to play by themselves or with each other? Or are they just bored with mommy and daddy the same way they're bored with their toys?