OT-Need your advice...What would you do?

[devotedchristian]

DS (Age 4) and I will be stuck in the house over the weekend. DH will be shooting his film all over the city so he needs the truck (we have 1 car).

I have lots of work to do in the house. However, DS is the type of child who needs constant interaction and is not the type to play by himself for long period of times. This is after I've spent 2 hours of playing with him or trying to redirect his attention.

And this weekend, I don't have the emotional energy to keep DS entertained by myself all weekend. We *could* go outside, but it's supposed to get up to 100 degrees here.

So, I'm thinking about bringing his cousins over in the morning (Saturday) so he could play with them. He has 2 sets that he plays with and gets along with.

Set of Cousins A- Niece (Age 9) and Nephew (Age 12)

Set of Cousins B-Niece (Age 2.5) and Niece (Age 5)

They love coming over (and do often) so I know it wouldn't be a problem with my Sister and SIL.

But then, I'm thinking of alone time for myself, after DS is in bed. DS will probably go to bed early (around 9pm) and I'll be able to rejoice in the peace and quiet and kick back and relax and watch a movie or something!

But if the Cousins are there, bedtime will be late because they are so excited to see each other and want to play. So it will be harder to settle down and I probably won't get that "Me Time"!

So, my plan would probably work Great by day but then backfire on me at night!

What should I do??

Would YOU invite the Cousins over or Not?

 

[jakenjess]

Can the cousins just come for a few hours during the day, or would they have to stay overnight? If they have to stay over, I'd probably forego that and just try to keep your DS occupied during the day and have some alone time after his bedtime. Maybe he could help you do some chores around the house, easy stuff like dusting and sweeping. My DD used to love that at age 4 (not so much at age 10!!). Will some puzzles keep his attention for awhile? If you break up your work with some together time and if he can feel involved with what you're doing, maybe he'll be fine. Enjoy your alone time!

 

[dis-happy]

Send your ds over to his cousins' house instead!

 

[Belle1962]

Send your ds over to his cousins' house instead!

Love that reply!!

If you do have the cousins over I would go with Set A--and then the 12 year old can help entertain the kids (you could even "pay" her if you want.) When we were at Disney in June my DB and DN's came over and we spent the day at the pool. They played with him forever in the pool and I was able to relax and chat with my brother. At the end of the day I gave them each $10 because it was such a nice break for me. They weren't expecting it but I was grateful they played with my DGS all day when they could have just gone off and done their own thing.

My DGS is very interactive when he is here--although he does know that Saturday is "clean up the house" (think BTBH) day I can usually only get about 30 minutes of real work done at a time---between games, cards and movies.

Can you get to the library today to get new books or movies? What about neighbors? Is there a park within walking distance that you can go to in the morning before it gets too hot?

And if all else fails--you are NOT a bad mom for putting him in front of the tv with a cartoon or movie (appropriate for him of course) while you "relax". I think we all need to do that once in a while.

 

[MSSANDRA]

Could your arrange a special outing wtih your sister or SIL and they could drive?? If not and the older set of cousin can come for a few hours that sounds good but otherwise I would rather have one child alone for a week-end than three!!! Ds is an only and when he was little DH worked a lot of long hours so we were alone a lot. Here are some things that we did:

Bake together. cookies or cupcakes that take a long time to decorate are great.

Art projects. Find an old box and turn it into a barn for his horses or what ever. Bonus- a new toy he might play alone with for a while.

Clean out his closet. Bet there are some old forgotten toys and might have new play value=a little time he might play alone.

Include him in your work. A dust cloth and a water spritzer can keep him busy a while.

A LONG fun bath. Add bubbles and lot of interesting items. Think kitchen funnel, spoons,sifter etc, or some of his own plastic toys that have never been in the tub. if you have finger paints, let him paint in the tub before the bath, shower off the tub and then do the bath.Twice as long entertainment.
Find a fun activity you can set up near the tub, scrapping, read a magazine etc.

Have an indoor picnic in the living room. When DS was little I would use a muffin tin and fill each cup with one item and we would munch from it while we played. Think cheese cubes, grapes, fish crackers etc.

Plan something really special for yourself after he goes to bed. Gives you something to look forward to when the day gets long. DO NOT however let it slip to him. I did this once and ds would not do to bed!!

Make some good memories this week-end.

 

[StephMK]

I love the -send him to their house - idea. Can you see if one of them will take him overnight & you'll trade them another time? Otherwise, at least a few hours will give you peace plus still get your nighttime in if he gets worn out at their house & goes down early. My DS loves to clean so that could help if you keep him just w/you. MIL gave us a shark vacuum, doesn't work perfectly but a great kid height & cleans good enough to make DS (& me) both happy.

Otherwise, if it's a choice, I'd pick whatever plan gives you your alone evening. I LOVE LOVE LOVE nights like that! Let us know what you choose.