I'm just wondering....
To what extent do other parents direct their children's play?
I have to admit that I'm pretty lazy - most of the time I just let them do their thing and I only step in when they're in danger or about to bring something from the outdoors to the indoors or things are getting a bit heated.
That isn't to say that I don't play with them. We throw balls together and have ticking sessions and so on but when they're playing happily I usually take advantage of it as some me time.
I used to get paint out for them but I always felt like I had to spend so much time making sure they didn't paint the floors and walls that it was frustrating for all of us so I stopped.
Now I'm feeling a bit worried that maybe I should be more pro-active but then, on the other hand, I worry that that would just be parenting in the fast lane and that they're better off being allowed to play at their own speed. Maybe they're learning just as much burying their trains outside as they would be painting.


Soooo, how do you find the balance? What do you do?