Being a mother of 5 children comes with challenges of its own (like trying to get them all to smile in a photo). Sometimes I wonder what it would be like to have fewer children… would I have more time, more patience, more enthusiasm to get engaged? Obviously, I could never know.

Let me say right at the outset: from an emotional and mental point of view, I don’t believe there is any difference between having one child or having ten children. Our children receive all of the love and energy we can muster. The challenge with larger families is largely logistical.

My brain is constantly focused on what needs to get done each day: packing lunches, getting them dressed and ready for school, making sure homework is done, and whether there are any extracurricular activities that need to be prepped for. Projects, art supplies to be packed? Which child needs what? Have the bills been paid? What needs to be done around the house? Is one child sick? Medication to be given? School drop-off, work, deadlines, fetching kids, getting homework done, cooking dinner, and then a few moments of chilling before bedtime… And then it starts all over again… oh, and then I have to be a wife as well.

Maybe I am at fault here (I probably am), and maybe I need to switch off and be more engaged, but thatdoesn’tt come naturally to me. Sadly. Is this a learning curve, probably? Would I be a better mom? Obviously!

Do I enjoy playing board games with my kids… Um, NO!

Why?

Well, let me set the scene. I have children aged 9, 8, 6, 4, and 2. Most board games are aimed at children of certain ages. So if I play with the older kids, the younger ones get upset; tantrums ensue, with crying and throwing of little plastic men, monkeys, or dominoes.

If I play with the younger ones, the older children go into the non-stop-moaning mode, “this is boring”, “it’s not how you play the game”, and “why do you let them always win”? Am I alone here? Is there no other parent out there who experiences this?

I secretly detest board games. #justsaying.

I received this awesome press drop from Hasbro the other day, and, to be honest, it’s shaken me a little and made me think a little about how I might be depriving my children of good old-fashioned clean fun. Off the screen, I might add, because you know, bad parenting and all that!

Because Hasbro’s #savetimeforplaytime video, which showcases several South African youngsters discussing what they would do to convince their parents to spend more time playng with them, resonated so deeply with parents, Hasbro has take the campaign one step further and introduced the #savetimeforplaytime Pledge

I watched this, and I cringe. I’m that mom, the one who needs to be convinced to play a board game. The one that secretly ddoesn’tmind if the kids lose the pieces. Every board game in our house has been bought by someone else as a gift. I’m a little embarrassed to admit that!

Complete with a pinkie promise, the pledge encourages parents and kids to pledge how they would save time to make playtime a priority. The parents featured in the video all agreed that, while life is busy and filled with distractions, they hadn’t realised the impact this was having on their kids. After being part of this social experiment, they offered up a few suggestions to try and create more time during the day – these included: not taking work home with them, spending less time on their cell phone, and actively prioritising play time, even just 30 minutes a day, which could  make all the difference.

Pledge

Having such a large family, it is hard to find/make individual time for each child every day. Seeing this amazing initiative and realising that Ihaven’tt put in all my effort to MAKE that time, a few things need to change. It’s been an eye-opener for me, one that is hard to admit so openly.

But that’s about to change, I pledge to #savetimeforplaytime.

My children need it, our family needs it, and obviously, I need it too. No one is perfect, righ?t # don’t judge

You can visit @monopolysouthafrica, click on the #savetimeforplaytime pledge page, make your pledge, and you could win a R1,000 personal shopper voucher AND a Hasbro game of your choice.

*Disclaimer – Hasbro via Atmosphere Communications sent me this press drop. All opinions are my own.