Here's Betsy of Fluffy Windover's Diary with this week's Toddler Thursday:

Are you your toddler’s playmate?

The other day I was talking to my mom, and I mentioned that I feel guilty because lately I don’t have much energy to play with Edwin or take him places. She said something like, “You don’t have to play with him; you’re his mother!”

This really struck me as interesting. My mom was a stay-at-home mom in the 60s and 70s, before we called them “stay-at-home moms”. I have fond memories of being home with my mom and reading books or playing while she went about her daily household tasks. Though I did go to nursery school, we didn’t do “mommy and me” classes, or playground playdates, or craft projects, or sing-alongs at the local coffee shop. I don’t remember ever feeling like I was bored or wanting to do more things; I was perfectly happy entertaining myself.

I suppose it’s a generational difference in the view of parenting. Today, I think a lot of moms feel pressure to pack every day with enriching activities and bonding experiences. Especially working moms: since they don’t spend every day with their children, they feel they must pack as much into the days they do spend together. Back when staying at home was the norm, perhaps moms didn’t feel this pressure to make the most out of every minute of time with their children.

How about you? Do you feel like you need to be your child’s playmate? Do you feel guilty when you would just rather read a magazine than spend “quality time” playing with your toddler?