Episode 34: I Don't Want To Play With My Kids (And I'm Done Feeling Bad About It)
Why sitting on the floor pretending to eat plastic food doesn't make you a better mum
Lucy finally says the thing every mum thinks but nobody admits — she doesn't enjoy playing with her kids. From Barbie marathons to being cast as the sick dog in pretend vet, she unpacks the guilt, the generational shift in what we expect of ourselves, and why just watching from the couch is more than enough.
What You'll Hear in This Episode
In this brutally honest solo episode, Lucy tackles the guilt that comes with not wanting to sit on the floor and play pretend for hours on end. She talks about the soul-leaving-your-body feeling of being asked to play cafes, the tiny dictator directing Barbie scenes, and the craft supplies she wishes would disappear forever.
Lucy calls her own mum for perspective — and the answer is both hilarious and freeing. She makes the case that our generation has somehow convinced itself that being a good mum means also being a full-time playmate, and that the mums before us had it right: you can love your kids fiercely and still not want to crawl on the tiles going "woof woof."
A warm, funny, deeply relatable episode for every mum who has ever set a timer on floor play.
Topics We Cover
The guilt of not wanting to play pretend with your kids
Barbie marathons, craft chaos, and the soul-leaving-your-body feeling
The generational shift — what our mums did vs what we expect of ourselves
Calling her own mum for a reality check
Why watching from the couch is more than enough
Self-compassion and letting go of the "perfect playmate" myth
"My four-year-old asked me to play cafes and I felt my soul leave my body."
"I called my mum and asked if she played with us. She laughed so hard she couldn't speak."
"Somewhere along the way, we started thinking we had to be the toy as well as the mum."
Listen Now
Hit play. Send it to a mum who gets it.
Available on Spotify, Apple Podcasts, and wherever you listen to podcasts.
