Getting out of the "Set Up" Mode

"I get this car!"

"Awesome-I get all these motorbikes!"

"Cool-let's line them up on our sides."

"Yeah!!!! I get all the blue ones."

"Yeah Man! It's going to be sweet!"

"Thanks Man!"

And so it goes-on and on and on. The "Set Up". The two youngest boys have been in their room "setting up"-getting ready to play for about an hour already. Soon. Sooner then they realize, I will tell them it's time to

clean up and come down for dinner. Then I will hear this:

"AAWWW! MOM! We didn't even play yet!!!!

"Yeah, we were still setting up!!!"

I think it's a disease. At the least-a condition. I'll call it...hmmm..how 'bout perpetualpreparednessitis.....in other words-too much-all the time-trying to get ready-but never actually getting to the important stuff!

It never works to their advantage. They are usually frustrated during the set up. There are often arguments about how to set up-who does what-what goes where, etc. When they realize they lost the time to actually play-again-they are even more disappointed. Sometimes I interevene and say something like:

"Why don't you boys just PLAY! Stop doing all that setting up stuff and just PLAY~have a race or something-pretend car wash-anything! Just get to the part you are trying to get to before it's too late!"

I don't think they have ever taken my advice. Well-I can't blame them really. The girls do the same thing with their polly pockets ,barbies and horses...my oldest does the same when setting up his legos and..... OH! NO! I think I have the same illness-perhaps it is hereditary!!!!

"I can't read to you right now..I'm organizing the bookshelf."

"Sorry, I wish I could play CandyLand with you...but I have to find all these pieces

and put them back where they belong."

"No, you go ahead and eat without me...Mommy needs to finish getting the kitchen back together."

"We'll plant the seeds soon..I'm still trying to clean out all the gardens."

The list goes on and on...all the ways I am "setting up" or "perpetually preparing" for something..for a time when I won't need to set up and can finally sit down and get to the playing? Problem is...it never seems to come to that time.

I should take my own advice. Tonight-instead of setting something up..I'm going to sit down with the kids and get down to what's really important...some time together!!!

How about you? Do you suffer from Perpetualpreparednessitis???????