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I have three kids under 10 who don't expect—or even want-to play
2024-08-23英语阅读（二）(00596)
I have three kids under 10 who don't expect—or even want-to play with me. It took some practice, but over time, we've all learned we're better off doing our own thing: the kids, without stodgy parental interference, and my husband and I, unhooked from the assumption that we have to play to be present.
It wasn't always this way. As a toddler, if my first child wasn't digging in the trash or chewing on the couch cushions, he was rampaging through the house with an imaginary weapon. He never listened. He tried to run into traffic. The constant wrangling and vigilance were so exhausting that my husband and I didn't have the energy to play the way my son preferred. Instead, I said no and stopped all day long, and when my scolding seeped into the playing, I felt guilty and frustrated. I was a terrible playmate, a tired mother who did little beyond obstructing.
But when my son was about 3, I realized his fictive worlds were vivid enough to continue without me. All he needed, at first, was a listener. After a while, he would head into his bedroom, alone, to transform it into the place that lived in his mind. It was freedom—for all of us. Thus began an experiment with expectation. Little by little, my husband and I would stretch the time our son could safely play by himself.
My daughter was born a year after that. She is shy and moody, and she has been content to play on her own since she could crawl. I've never met a more self-possessed child—she used to tell me when she needed a nap. She has never liked the sorts of games her brother prefers, and play between them has always been a negotiation. The games they've created combine his love of fantasy and drama with her need for realism; when they set up their pretend yak farm with pillows and stuffed animals, she enjoys an imagined sunset, while her brother worries about predators who have yet to grace this earthly plane.
In the past, if they couldn't agree on a game's direction, I would try to help, only to make it worse. When Mom is there to listen, they turn defensive and mean; when I say, "Figure it out," they do. I know I'm lucky they have each other to play with, and so I've taught myself to hold back. I tell myself they're learning about compromise and boundaries. I have a bad temper. I can be critical. And I don't like to play, especially pretend, or anything with dolls or figures, or any games that ask me to hide or wield a Nerf gun. My motto is "Moms don't play." Our third child joined the family with this system in place, and he is, as most third children are, remarkably independent.
The mom's motto "Moms don't play."______.
A、shows that the mom is lucky to have two kids to play with each other
B、makes the kids get rid of the idea of having mom to accompany them
C、tells the kids that moms are occupied with housework
D、indicates that moms are not good game players
【正确答案】：B
It wasn't always this way. As a toddler, if my first child wasn't digging in the trash or chewing on the couch cushions, he was rampaging through the house with an imaginary weapon. He never listened. He tried to run into traffic. The constant wrangling and vigilance were so exhausting that my husband and I didn't have the energy to play the way my son preferred. Instead, I said no and stopped all day long, and when my scolding seeped into the playing, I felt guilty and frustrated. I was a terrible playmate, a tired mother who did little beyond obstructing.
But when my son was about 3, I realized his fictive worlds were vivid enough to continue without me. All he needed, at first, was a listener. After a while, he would head into his bedroom, alone, to transform it into the place that lived in his mind. It was freedom—for all of us. Thus began an experiment with expectation. Little by little, my husband and I would stretch the time our son could safely play by himself.
My daughter was born a year after that. She is shy and moody, and she has been content to play on her own since she could crawl. I've never met a more self-possessed child—she used to tell me when she needed a nap. She has never liked the sorts of games her brother prefers, and play between them has always been a negotiation. The games they've created combine his love of fantasy and drama with her need for realism; when they set up their pretend yak farm with pillows and stuffed animals, she enjoys an imagined sunset, while her brother worries about predators who have yet to grace this earthly plane.
In the past, if they couldn't agree on a game's direction, I would try to help, only to make it worse. When Mom is there to listen, they turn defensive and mean; when I say, "Figure it out," they do. I know I'm lucky they have each other to play with, and so I've taught myself to hold back. I tell myself they're learning about compromise and boundaries. I have a bad temper. I can be critical. And I don't like to play, especially pretend, or anything with dolls or figures, or any games that ask me to hide or wield a Nerf gun. My motto is "Moms don't play." Our third child joined the family with this system in place, and he is, as most third children are, remarkably independent.
The mom's motto "Moms don't play."______.
A、shows that the mom is lucky to have two kids to play with each other
B、makes the kids get rid of the idea of having mom to accompany them
C、tells the kids that moms are occupied with housework
D、indicates that moms are not good game players
【正确答案】：B
