I have a beautiful friend from my university days. She is the epitome of a Fun Mum. When we arrive at her house for playdates the driveway is decorated in chalk drawings and activities beyond the scope of a young child – I can see she has been down on her hands and knees drawing with her kids. At group barbecues when any (not just her) kids start to whinge that they are bored she is the first adult to jump up and bring a little structure to the kids play, enough to make it more fun for them, so that the adults can keep talking. Quickly repurposing picnic tuppaware containers into lakes to make leaf boats in. When we are the park she leads the children in imagination play seeking fairy hideouts. She is awesome, and fun, and my kids know it. They tell me she is the Fun Mum.
Being a mother is a tough gig. There are so many societal expectations, many unattainable and competing. As the grunt work of running a house piles up, we are expected to deliver tough love, be nurturing, help the kids with homework, look smoking hot for our partners, provide financially for the household and kick butt in the career front. Being the Fun One is less of a priority. The thing is, if I’m not at work then I’m with my kids. Odds are if I’m not having fun with the kids I’m not really having much fun at all. I like to think I was fun before I had kids, and I’m hopeful I can be fun even after I’ve bred three humans. So the key for me to being a Fun Mum is about finding things that are fun for us to do together. If I’m having fun with them what I hope is that they will have memories of me being a Fun Mum too.
Physical fun
I wish I was more like my awesome Fun Mum friend – good at playing with the kids. But I’m not. The key for me has been finding shared activities that I enjoy. This means being willing on occasion to look less than glamorous – If there is waterslide action happening – I’m on it (and have the scar to prove it). Activities where the kids and I can get physical together are a bonus, particularly cool ones like scooting. Sometimes jumping in the swimming pool, or into the water splash area when it is cold – and any sensible adult would stay out of the water is the better option.
Remembering what games were fun when I was a child.
My eldest is finally at the age where we can play games together. I am loving reconnecting with the games of my childhood together. Battle ship, Cluedo and Uno are the faves at the moment.
Exploring our city together.
We are privileged to live in a city that is bursting with amazing opportunities to have fun together as family. Melbourne’s premiere attractions, the NGV and Melbourne Museum often have new exhibitions to explore together, and I keep an eye out for interactive visiting attractions that will be fun for us all.
Mess is okay
As a time poor working mum it is so easy to feel overwhelmed by the practical tasks that are required daily. I’ve made the conscious decision to prioritise fun, quality time with my kids over having a perfect house. That means sometimes jumping on the trampoline together when I had planned to do the laundry, or having scrambled eggs for dinner because we stayed out later than planned at a fun event.
Travel
I research our travel plans meticulously to optimise opportunities to have fun together. Sometimes this means booking accommodation where family fun together (and apart) is facilitated. Other times this involves planning itineraries that will facilitate physical fun (such as zip lining or canoeing).
In the lead up to Mother’s Day I would love to hear about what you do to to be the Fun One too. For more suggestions on being the Fun One check out this post by the folk at Micro Scooters.
