My daughter is extremely active and sometimes I simply can’t keep up with her. I have found a solution to my quandary, in that I have discovered playhouses in my local area. Although she is under two, she is very bright and so instead of putting her in the under 3’s area, she goes in the bigger section, as long as it’s not busy.

My first experience was very pleasing. The prices are reasonable and during the week, as long as it is quite there’s no time frame either. So whilst you sit, sipping coffee, nattering to your friends, your child is safe and happy and burning all that extra energy they seem to have.

I have also found that older children can enjoy these places just as much, if not more. My friend’s daughter of eight, thoroughly enjoyed herself. She was running around and acting like the child she should be. As in the culture we have developed for our offspring, time seems to run out for playtime, and it’s time to ‘grow up’ and ‘act your age’.

I really feel strongly about letting our children grow up at their own pace. Of course all children are different, and some are naturally more mature than their peers. This is not to say however, that responsibilities should not be given to our children, I am merely saying that adulthood comes soon enough, so let’s give them a bit of that golden childhood back.