Modern Mom: In Search of "Quiet Play"

My 3-year-old just had her tonsils and adenoids out, and I am proud — and relieved — to report that thus far things are going very well. She was a real trooper, and has yet to complain even once about the pain.

Before we left the hospital, we were given a long list of post-op instructions. Soft foods, pain medication, antibiotics, and so forth. Last on the list of instructions was two weeks of “quiet play.” Quiet play? The last time there was anything even resembling quiet play in my house was before we got our dog…and that was before the three children arrived. So to think that we could have two weeks of quiet play in our home is clearly wishful thinking. My daughter may feel like laying low, but how do I get my 6-year-old and my 1-year-old (not to mention my Golden Retriever) to cooperate? I’m all for art projects, videos, books, and other non-physical activities. But my children are another story. We’ve been home from the hospital for less than 24 hours and already my daughter wants to play “chase” with her brothers. The videos are sitting unwatched; the paint brushes remain dry. I think it’s going to be a very long two weeks.