Rough Play

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We've a 4 yr old and a 2yr old. I've always rough-played with them (throwing them up in the air, swinging them round, 'bashing' them, running & jumping around while holding them etc. - and for the most part I think it's been good for them. They seem to enjoy it anyway - and are always asking me to throw them around.

They also tend to play with each other quite roughly... and in comparison to some other people's kids they would be at the opposite end of the spectrum. They don't hit or fight with other kids or anything. But for example we were looking after my wife's friend's little girl, and we were all running around playing etc. I picked her up and threw her in the air as I would with my own.... she froze (her body went rigid) and the look on her face told me she didnt enjoy it... and my wife told me "she's not used to playing like that" so we stopped.

Do you rough play with your kids?

If so, why?

If not, why not?

All opinions welcome.

Chocolate fiend

I don't think rough play and throwing up in the air are the exact same thing. My daughter has two older brothers who rough and tumble with her, she can get down and dirty with the best of them and is great to tackle in a game of football.

If you threw her up in the air she would HATE it!

Also even if she did normally like it, she wouldn't like someone that she did not 100% trust doing it if that makes sense?

harr

While I would definitely have done it with my own lads since they were small ...I definitely would not presume all kids enjoy it.
My nephew for example is a very shy kid and even when his cousins start the wrestling he squirms away , so all kids are completely different.
I think it depends on the other child’s personality and it would take a lot of trust from a child to let a strange adult throw them in the air for the first time.

Dravokivich

Do it all the time yeah. i also say "Don't Fall" and pretend to drop him. It's encouraged his reflexes over the years. Such as when he rolls off a couch or something, he's well used to putting his hands out to catch himself. He doesn't do it with others as far as I know.

I'd play with 1 of my nephews in a similar manner as well, the other just went 1 so is a bit small for it. He likes being lifted up quickly though.

Mink

I don't rough play with my son but my husband absolutely throws him around the place (I can't watch sometimes) and my kid loves it. Lots of play fighting and wrestling and mad jumping stunts.

I think it's really improved his agility (and just general good craic) and he knows not to do it with other kids, he's very gentle with them, but daddy can take a beating

I wouldn't attempt any rough play with a kid I didn't know well, there is a whole trust thing there - my son knows his dad will always catch him (he feckin better anyway)

mitresize5

I always play rough and tumble with the 5 year old boy, to the point where my wife has bought us boxing gloves :-)

every now and then I push him far enough that he loses his temper, and really lashes into me.

he is generally very soft, kind and considerate to the point where I was worried he'd be a push over in school. My memories of the school yard are of some kids lives being made a misery as they were weren't able to stand up for themselves. Some kids can be real assholes as bullys

Myself and my brother beat the head off each other growing up so we really toughened each other up.

and most importantly of all he really loves it and we have great craic doing it

pwurple

Yeah, we throw them up in the air etc. Not sure what you mean by rough, no-one would get hurt when we play. plenty of rolling around on the grass and falling over. 
Not in the house though, because we don't have carpet,  and there's a heck of a lot of glass around.  
But they still don't like strangers, friends, or even aunts or uncles doing it tbh. I wouldn't pick up anyone else's child and throw them about.