"I Hate Pretend Play"

I was recently talking to a mom friend who was saying how she feels guilty because she hates pretend play. Board games? Crafts? She can rally.

But the minute her 6 year old introduces pretend play it basically becomes the daughter telling the mom what to do, then what to do next, and so on. Which ultimately results in the mom being scolded for not playing “correctly.”

“I’m not a mind reader! It’s so frustrating, I can’t follow it all!”

And I had to chuckle, because as parents, haven’t we all been there?

Pretend play, especially for moms, can feel like the most draining type of play.

That’s not to say pretend play isn’t draining for dads. But the way dads and kids bond is different than moms and kids. Dads also tend to bring the crazy, which can work really well with some pretend play scenarios.

Regardless of mom or dad, one thing can often be true for some kids (especially before the age of 7):

Pretend play is NOT improv.

It’s not collaborative. It’s not “YES! and…”

It’s a developm…