I don’t know if I am the only one, but I have this constant pressure (self inflicted I think), to entertain my two and four year old. I just want to know that I am normal and other parents also run around taking there kids here and there constantly. I feel almost that staying at home and doing nothing is a sin! Do any of you guys just stay at home for a couple of days without going anywhere or planning little trips? I am exhausted, but I still feel like I have to provide them with fun things all the time. What do you do when you are tired?

My idea of bliss is not doing anything or rather not going anywhere. I have a 2.5 year old and a 5.5 year old, both boys. We have just had a few days at home because my eldest was poorly so no school run to do. We baked, lots of art things and games were played. House was chaos but we had a fab time.

I probably do one thing every month with my littlest (she’s 3) .  Rest of the time is just living!  Entertainment just happens, and I am looking forward to the holidays where the boys will be home, and we can just have lots of go with the flow days (we’re good at those!)

We do go out a few times a week to meet with other families, we are home educating so it is part of that.  On the other days we might go out once a month for a ‘visit’ and we go for walks a couple of times a month.  I feel no need to entertain my children, they do that really well for themselves.  If they want input from me they just ask.  I too would be exhausted trying to go out everyday, l love my days at home.

The times spent ‘doing nothing’ at home are just as valuable as the times spent doing stuff outside of the home.  Children (and adults) need time to daydream, to process what they have done over the past few days, to let things sink in, and just to ‘be’ without any pressure to be constantly doing something.  Don’t feel guilty for the quiet times at home - enjoy them!

We have probably 2 or 3 days out a week - which is trips into town, visiting friends, or just a walk round the lake near to our house or to the local park (which is a 20 min walk away), so not big ‘days out’ as such and I find that my son, who has just turned 6, needs a couple of quiet days every week or he just gets exhausted.  If you’re tired from all the being out all the time, your children probably are too, so just chill a bit.  Home is where the heart is!  xxx

my kids are a bit older now adn I am really glad I didn’t spend hours entertaining them when they were little. They had loads of free time, and loads of imaginative play. I think kids are generally much better at entertaining themselves than we are at entertaining them