Staying Home

School and most after school activities are a week away from being over and I'm trying to enter a stage of relaxation but, my nine year old daughter is not. She wants to "go" constantly and whines when I say, "No." ( Which in our home NO means NO, no matter how much she whines.)  Our home is kid friendly to the point she has her own bedroom, bath, and play room. The only rule I have set forth is if it gets messed up she has to clean it up. She complains she has nothing to do, no one to play with, she's bored!  I'm dumbfounded!  Her father and I have provided EVERYTHING for her to have a happy, healthy childhood. How do I make this transition peaceful for all of us?  Also, I enjoy kids coming over and planning sleep overs and etc. but there are weekends I want for family only, how can I introduce this without her having a major meltdown?

[Kevin Kennedy, Ph.D.]

Unfortunately, your expectation is unrealistic. You cannot be entertaining your daughter all the time and it will be important for her to learn to occupy herself. However, this will require some limit setting and education on your part. Don't expect the process to be peaceful - you're just setting yourself up for a big letdown. You may want to relax, but being the parent of young children doesn't afford a lot of relaxation during their waking hours. In this one instance you may be putting your own need/desire to relax anhead of your child's needs.