This time is a crazy one for millions all over the world. Kids are now attending school from home, as parents work from home. And although we are at the same place, because of school and work, I can sometimes spend a whole day with little interaction with my daughters. Unfourtenetly, this is not a new scenario in our household. As a working mom, I don’t get to spend much time with my kids. So, I decided to take advantage of this rare opportunity and think of ways to make the most out of weeknights with my children. Here is what came to my mind:
The first thing I thought of was making dinner with your children and having it together. It may seem like an obvious thing, but sometimes, having dinner together as a family is a rare thing. And, as my other always told me, making something ourselves makes it taste better. Cooking dinner with your children is a great way to combine both the making of dinner and bonding time with your kids.
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The former suggestion relates to my next one, which is not putting too much pressure on the whole thing. Many of us feel like there just isn’t enough time in the day to do it all. What might help you fix it is to lower your expectations. It doesn’t take that long to connect with your child; a few minutes are enough. You don’t have to play games for hours on end. Even ten minutes together can change your whole week. And it could be any activity, even helping with homework.
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Another viable option is to take a little bit of your weekly load off. Buy yourself time in the afternoon and evenings by doing your household chores in anused minutes of the day. I, for example, usually wake up before my kids. So, after I drink my cup of coffee and have a few minutes with myself, I fold the laundry, unload the clean dishes, and do other chores, so that I would not be distracted by them when I return home. If you’re not a morning person like me, you can also combine the two and do these chores with your kids.
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My final suggestion, which may be the ultimate one, is to put your phone down. When we get home, it’s easy to get caught up in our phones, whether on different social media platforms or in work matters. That is why, as soon as I get back home from work, I put my phone away. Doing this, I remove possible temptations and distractions and can focus on my time with my kids. Being a working parent is hard, and we must accept that we can’t be there all the time. The magic of loving a child is that you can see even the smallest of moments as milestones.
