I Hate Crafts
Annie The Nanny
Hi Annie,
This may seem like a weird question or comment, I guess, but I feel guilty, but I hate crafts. I’m just no good at them, and they bore me! I get that it’s cold and there’s not much else to do, so we meet with my girlfriends and their kids a lot for playdates, but it’s always the same thing: more crafts! If I see another craft, I think I’m going to lose it. Any ideas for alternate activities that I can do with my kids that don’t involve crafts? Thanks, Angela.
Hi Angela,
Great question, and I never thought I’d be asked this as everywhere I go, everyone’s into crafts. I’m not into crafts either and never have been, so I totally understand your frustration with being forced societally to “do crafts” at every social gathering for kids. To be fair, our Canadian craft obsession is more a product of the truly awful weather we’re subjected to than our innate crafty ability. I doubt crafts are such a big thing in the Bahamas, but please correct me if I’m wrong. So what can you do if you’re not craft-oriented?
I hate crafts: Just be you!
The most important thing with kids is to have fun. Try to be silly, and try to see life through their eyes. Kids love being silly. Crafts may not be your thing, but try to find those that are and make a big deal of them.
I was in to “silly.” You may not be, but just for the record and perhaps to give you some ideas, I’d chase my kids with the vacuum cleaner, pretend the broom was a charging horse, sit on the back of the sofa, and collapse onto the cushy bit when they aimed their Nerf gun in my direction. I’d play peek-a-boo with the towel at bath time and hide behind the shower curtain, leaping out when they least expected it. I’d pretend to be a frog and a rabbit and let them turn me into any animal they liked with a flick of their toothbrush.
But I wasn’t like that all the time. I’d play in moments throughout the day, knowing that those moments were enough. I didn’t have to “play” in the same way that many parents feel they do now. I didn’t play blocks or Lego with my kids on purpose. I used to grab one Barbie at bedtime and tell the other Barbie that her hair was completely unflattering, and… well, it just didn’t suit her at all! Then we’d mimic a playground squabble together on the side of the bed. My daughter would laugh, and I’d have fun too. We’d interpret things that were happening in her life in ways that she could relate to.
I hate crafts! Find what personality aspects stands out to them and celebrate that.
That’s what’s really important: to relate to your kids, to find out what’s happening with them, and to let them talk, laugh, or cry their way through it. You can do it in spontaneous moments of fun or while you wash the car together. It’s not so much about trying to keep them occupied as it is about involving them in what you’re doing and having some fun while getting a tad bit wet along the way. For more answers to your parenting questions, visit my services page.
I hope that answers your question and maybe gives you some extra ideas. It’s all about finding your true self in your relationship with your children. Just spend the time with them being “you,” and they’ll remember it forever.
Cheers
Annie
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