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s/o Do/did you "play monster" with your kids?


SKL
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69 members have voted

  1. 1. Pretending to be a "monster" with your kids

    • My folks did it and so do I.
      43
    • My folks did, but I don't.
      5
    • I know some people do that, but my family never did.
      16
    • You are really freaking me out here.
      5


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Similar to my "birthday swats" thread - how many families do this?  I always assumed it was normal for everyone, but now I'm wondering.

 

When I was little, sometimes my mom or dad used to pretend to "turn into" a monster and scare or chase us for fun.  Usually we knew it was pretend and it was fun for the kids.  I do this sometimes with my kids, and they love it.  (If anyone really got scared or upset, it would end immediately.)

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You need an "other" option! My parents never did it, and I never pretended to be a "monster," but I did chase the kids around when they were little — like laughingly saying "I'm gonna get you!" while wiggling my fingers at them, and then chasing them around for while before finally catching them and ticking them or smooching them or something. It was just a fun game like tag, no scary connotations at all.

 

ETA: Oh, yeah, I've done the "I'm gonna gobble you up!" thing, too — usually pretending to munch on toddler toes, lol.

Edited by Corraleno
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I have done this, yes.  Not regularly really, but on occasion, when it seemed to make sense.  Depending on their mood they either roll their eyes at me or run off ao get into a wrestling match.

 

My extended family tends to have a rather dark, and also dry, sense of humour.

 

I remember my great uncle chasing us around with his dentures. He started by sticking them out of his mouth, and we'd tell our parents who would say, "Don't be silly, teeth don't come out."  Then after a while he actually took them out and ran at us with his teeth held out at us.  We, of course, ran away shrieking.  The adults were like "well, who knew?"

 

 

 

 

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I don't remember specifically playing monster as a kid but I'm sure my dad chased me around some for fun and maybe he did monster-y things.  My husband and I would play chase games with the kids, and I'm sure there was some "I'm gonna get you!" in there.  All in fun, nothing scary. Just horsing around.  

 

I didn't answer the poll because my memories aren't clear enough.  

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It wasn't my parents who did it, it was my older sister. Yet another of her ways that made me scared of the dark so I'd sleep with her because she was scared of the dark. To this day I'm scared of the dark. So no, I never pretended to be a monster for my children. The most I did was while they were laying in front of me, I'd tickle them and say 'I gotcha' then I'd kiss them. But no, never chase or jump out and scare.

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My husband does this with our kids all the time. They adore it. It's equally likely to be transformers or robots as monsters and he usually does it because the 3yo begs him to. And then usually it switches and they chase him. ☺ï¸

 

They also have an elaborate game called "try to get you", which involves bases and howling and glee.

 

Isn't that kind of game classic childhood and a natural buddy of fairy tales and tag?

 

ETA: no one is ever scared in this here (aside from a 'chasing' adrenaline rush!) and there's no dark aspect.

Edited by indigoellen@gmail.com
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I have done this, yes.  Not regularly really, but on occasion, when it seemed to make sense.  Depending on their mood they either roll their eyes at me or run off ao get into a wrestling match.

 

My extended family tends to have a rather dark, and also dry, sense of humour.

 

I remember my great uncle chasing us around with his dentures. He started by sticking them out of his mouth, and we'd tell our parents who would say, "Don't be silly, teeth don't come out."  Then after a while he actually took them out and ran at us with his teeth held out at us.  We, of course, ran away shrieking.  The adults were like "well, who knew?"

 

My dad had false teeth and he used to do that with us.  We knew what it was so it didn't really scare us, though you can work yourself up to be freaked about it if you want to.  :p  Mostly I wished I could stick my teeth out like that.  Once my dad did it with a grandkid, who got scared.  My dad felt so bad, he vowed to never do it again to any kid.

 

My dad does play a game with the grandkids though - they push this "button" (mole) on his arm and it turns him into a monster.  He'll say "don't push that button!  Oh no, don't push it!" and they laughingly push it and he becomes the monster.  :P

Edited by SKL
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I wasn’t reading it that way. I was envisioning trying to scare the kids, not a game. Maybe it just wasn’t stated clearly.

 

Well, I think being scared is the game, for a lot of kids.  Plenty of people scare themselves on purpose, so I don't see why some kids wouldn't.  

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I am amazed to learn there are families who have never even once played "I'm gonna get you!" or tickle monster.

Me, too.

 

When my dc were small, I'd puff up and say, "Fee fi fo fum, I smell the blood of a ticklish one", and they would run away laughing and squealing. They loved it.

 

I also would be the Mommy Monster. That was reserved for when they were doing something they shouldn't. It was a fun way to get them to behave.

 

My intent was never to be mean or scary.

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I certainly played tickle monster a lot. Even with my younger brother. He loved it and my kids loved it. They would beg me to do it. No one ever tried to scare anyone. If someone wasn't having fun I would've stopped. But it was always me saying "I'm done, I'm done, I can't do it anymore!!" And them begging for more.

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I hated being tickled, but my family picked up on that quickly and no one tickled me after that.  I still can't stand having anyone touch my feet because they are so ticklish. One of my kids loved being tickled.   So she would get tickled, but it didn't take her long to get it that mom wasn't to be tickled back.  Ya have to know your audience, right?

 

There are people who enjoy a bit of fear.  Scary movies, amusement park thrill rides, haunted houses exist for a reason.   

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I play wrestle with my kids all the time. The three of us really like it. I think Youngest even sort of needs it.

 

Dh never play wrestled, even as a kid - and he doesn't like it. 

 

But they were never ever scared in any way. Sometimes when playing I would joke about one thing or another to try to get them to laugh, but that's it. 

Edited by Julie Smith
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No options for "my folks didn't but we do".  or at least dh does.  Bedtime wasn't "come tuck us in" it was "time to come jump on us" like a monster.  The kids were never scared and knew it was all in fun. 

 

We've had some weird bedtime traditions in our family.  For a while, ds made us get into bed and he would come "jump" on us and tuck us in before running back to his room.

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We have played tickle monster; chased by a dinosaur, lion, bear, monster, etc.; hide and surprise; and octopus.  My kiddos like to "get caught", tickled, and be surprised as well as doing the surprising.  As long as everyone is having fun, it will continue.  It is always light hearted and playful, and never meant to make the kids ever feel unsafe or afraid.

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My parents didn't.  They never really played with us that I can recall.  I mostly played with my sister and/or brother, or by myself.  I haven't done that with my kids, but DH's mom liked to play silly games with them like they.  They thought it was a lot of fun.  DH roughhouses with the kids, but no specific chasing "monster" type games that I can think of.

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Hard to answer.  My dd loved chase, but I don't think my dh pretended to be a monster.  They did have a sitting game called Spider.  She would sit on his lap, and he would make his hand stand on his fingers as if they were legs and "crawl" on her arms or head or something, and she would giggle delightedly and slap his hand and say "No, Spider!"  She loved it.

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My kids love to play Monster. They will turn off the lights and crawl into my bed. Then DH and/or I will come in and scare them. Even the big kids will still get in on the game. We also play a variation where DH is the shark and the kids are on the boat/bed. I don’t recall my parents doing this, though my dad was very playful and wrestled with us.

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When my kids were little, I would sometimes be a crocodile. I would hold my arms straight out in front and chomp them up and down like a crocodile mouth while chasing them and saying, "I'm going to eat you." Most of them loved it. One daughter would say no and move to the side of the room, so I wouldn't chase her.

 

It was all fun. My kids would pretend to be scared, but of course it was just for fun.

 

My parents weren't chase and tickle kind of people. My dad sometimes would dangle his arms behind his kitchen chair, and we would crawl through there and be tickled. We called that the car wash.

 

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Neither of my parents ever pretended to be a monster, and neither Dh or I do, but I don't see anything wrong with it.

 

As a kid, I had friends whose father pretended to be "Monster Mike" at the playground from time to time. He would chase us, catch us, and carry us to "jail", where the other kids would have to rescue us. When he got tired of running around, he'd elect a kid to become the monster, and we'd carry on the game ourselves. 

 

 

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No poll option for me, I don't remember my parents ever doing it but we do it all the time with the kids. 

 

We may be a dinosaur, a monster, a lion, a ghost.... DD5 loves to be the monster herself and does a scary face growl at us holding her hands like claws. Whoever isn't the monster/attacker hides under a blanket quietly then runs and screams when found. I think it's one of their favorite things to play. 

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My father did it, and I do it, but my DH thinks I'm nutso.

 

I do various animals, including a T-rex. Sometimes a zombie (braaaaaaiiiiiinnnssssssss), but usually I'm a weeping angel (Dr. Who).

 

The weeping angel is the most fun, because I can't move unless he blinks, or looks away. 

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Yes. We also do this thing where we turn off all the lights and one parent hides and the other parent goes with the child to look for them. When we get near them the hiding parent jumps out and scares them. The anticipation has the child laughing and clinging to the parent helping them look. They beg to play this game, which we call "Spooky."

 

ETA: We played this with our parents and loved it.

Edited by Mimm
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My parents never did.  I would roughhouse with the boys when they were little and toss them on the couch or bed and stuff.  They loved it.  But I never pretended to be a monster.  I may have chased them a bit when roughhousing.  Don't remember.  

 

It's ok that other people do it, but it's not something I remember from my childhood or thought to do with my own kids.  :)

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we'd play chase in areas we could go in a circle - but there was never a monster. 

when the oldest were little - we played "chicken and mesquite sauce".  (it evolved out of chase around the dining room table.)  we'd run around, grab the child - put them on the couch and "put mesquite sauce on them" - the sit down while it "cooked".  then they'd get up and start running around.   that' chicken got away and would have to be chased some more.   they might get tickled too.   (dudeling still loves to be tickled - my thumb joints are arthritic and not so happy about that.)

my kids loved it.

 

eta: my folks didn't.  my dad gave "pony" rides and shoulder rides. 

Edited by gardenmom5
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