It’s half term and today was wet and windy. Having spent yesterday lounging around, watching TV and having a slummy mummy day I knew I would need to get the children out of the house today. Wet weather and restless children pointed towards soft play as the solution. I tried to resist it, I’m experienced enough to know that soft play on a wet school holiday day is a fresh kind of hell. A sensory torture worthy of breaking even the most saintly of mothers, and I’m certainly not she.
However the afternoon wore on and the children started to bicker and grumble. I knew that I had to do something or we wouldn’t make it to dinner time without tears (probably mine) and wrestling (why must boys wrestle?) So I took a deep breath, a valium (kidding of course) and packed the kids into the car.
As expected the place was heaving. A mass of brightly coloured plastic, sweaty noisy children and harassed parents. The noise levels were intense, it was as if every child in the place had been fed exclusively on blue smarties all day long and then released into the fray. Hyper, screeching, and oozing bodily fluids the children ran amuck.
It’s ok though because obviously I would get to relax at a table with a cuppa whilst my children play, right? Wrong. This situation does not occur until your youngest is at least three. I have a two year old. So I trail round after her. I slide down the slides, praying that my bum will not get stuck, since they look a little narrow, and I will not need rescuing like a beached whale. I brave the ball pool, hoping that today is not the day a child has had an accident (yes yes I’m talking wee or worse) unseen in amongst the balls.
After an hour or so of play I spend a stupid amount of money on fairly low quality food for the children’s dinner. Then we head home, the children for their bath and bedtime routine, and me for a couple of paracetamol and a sit in a darkened room.
I don’t have a soft play picture. This is just a treat for me after all the plastic.
Haha love the caption n photo after all that.
I, too, took to the indoor play area this afternoon but I took cover in the adjoined “restaurant” with a crossword and 13 year old… It was alright. Just a few more years chick, you’ll be there! Off to the woods if its not too drizzly tomorrow. And if its not too drizzly you are welcome to join us xt
Lucky you, an attached restaurant and a comfy seat would definitely help.
I can really relate to this! Especially the part about the paracetamol and darkened room!
I am lucky enough that my three are now old enough to disappear off to play on their own but I can remember when my twins were smaller, not knowing which way to chase them around inside the soft play area…
Gosh, twins in a soft play centre, I take my hat off to you. Glad to hear things are a little easier now that they are older.
having twins myself the soft play option is a tricky one, so are most other places where they can roam around freely. I usually go to a soft play centre together with 1 or more friends or with my wife when she’s off. But we generally love crawling after the boys, going on the slide etc. sure it can be a bit pricey and as you said the food is a bit rubbish but we love it, so do our boys!
One of the advantages of not having a car – I’m never tempted to go to soft play, its just too far away!
Ah yes but you did endure music with mummy for many years 😉
….I have never even *thought* of certain surprises in the ball pool! I will be entering soft play with more trepidation now.
I too am looking forward to when my little one can play on her own in there. I rather enjoy playing with her, but I get far too annoyed with the other children!
I’m glad it’s not just me who has that dreaded feeling when anyone mentions soft play centres. It’s my worst nightmare, sweaty feet, greasy food smells, filthy socks and lots of children! And that was before I had considered “surprises in the ball pool!”