Many parents find themselves spending the day with their children in anticipation that it will end already, that the children will go to sleep, and finally they can turn to what they really want to do - rest. If you identify with this, know that you are not alone. According to a survey conducted in the US, more than half of the participating parents (55%) stated that they simply "try to get through the day" instead of enjoying it with their children. This makes sense, after all, we try to accomplish as much as possible and rush between work, frameworks, and the children's needs - so where do we have time to enjoy raising the children? Well, it's possible, because the simple fact is that almost half of the parents do manage to do it, and according to the survey, money does not play a key role in the process. We'll show you now what those people who enjoy with their children throughout the day do differently and how you can change the situation for yourselves.
1. Remember that this too shall pass
If you have older children today, you know how quickly they grow and how time passes quickly in the end. So if in addition to them you also have young children, or if you are simply raising children who have not yet reached adolescence, remember that this period in which they like to dress up, do silly things and simply shower you with love will pass eventually.
Those who have raised teenagers and also toddlers see this difference clearly, and it may be easier for them to enjoy this period, partly because they are already more experienced in dealing with the crying, tantrums and whims of the little ones. Remember that like in the parable of Solomon's ring, both the bad things and the good things will end eventually, so enjoy the good ones while you can.
2. Learn to be present
Resist your natural instinct to "just survive", and instead, allow yourselves to be present in the good and bad moments that inevitably characterize the period of raising young children. To do this, you will need to force yourselves to stop worrying about what will happen tomorrow, and focus on what is happening now.
Whether it's your baby's first laugh, your 4-year-old daughter complaining that she's bored on the ride and she already wants to arrive at the destination, or your 8-year-old son who wants to show you something new and not so fascinating that he learned, be there for them. It won't always provide you with moments of happiness, but it will help reduce anxieties about what you haven't managed to do yet.
3. Know when to demand your personal time
According to the survey results, women suffer more from feelings of guilt for spending moments with themselves when they are supposed to be doing other things. They are also less likely to ask for help when they are struggling with something, because most of them believe that their needs are not as important as those of others.
Our advice is to find one thing you love to do and give it to yourselves. Maybe it's doing yoga sometime during the day, maybe it's a phone call to a family member, friend or girlfriend, or maybe it's even just drying your hair calmly after a shower. If there's something you want to do calmly, don't give up on it. Make it happen and dedicate the rest of your time to the children.
4. Don't deny your feelings
When challenging moments arise with the children - and let's admit it, there are quite a few of those throughout the day - it will help you a lot to be honest with yourselves and tell yourselves how you feel about it. You can even admit to your children and say to them "Mom is a bit overwhelmed with emotions from what happened now and I need a moment", or you can confess to your partner, and of course also ask for help from them if you need a few minutes for yourselves.
5. Laugh as much as possible
Our last tip is that it's better to laugh than to cry. Imagine this situation. The baby has "back poop", and at that exact moment your 7-year-old daughter is yelling and demanding to watch TV after you've already told her 100 times that screen time is over for today. Your initial urge might be to explode or get angry, but do everything you can to see the humor in the whole situation.
In summary
In the end, we need to aim a little higher than just trying to survive the day until the children's bedtime. Our ultimate goal as parents is to enjoy parenting, and this requires us to find the enjoyment in all the moments of chaos and mess that arise throughout the day. Remember that if you are grumpy and irritable, that's what your children will remember about you at these ages, and it's also a bad example to show them how they should behave in the future with their children and in general how to respond to challenging situations in life. On the other hand, if they see happy parents, they will be happier too, and in the end it will be better for everyone.
Subscribe and REMOVE ALL ADS
LOVE our articles but HATE our ads? For only $3.89 per month, enjoy a seamless, ad-free experience that lets you focus on what matters most — enjoying all of our content, uninterrupted. 🔒 100% Secure Payment 📅 Cancel Anytime, No Strings Attached Unlock a cleaner, faster browsing experience today and gain the freedom to navigate without visual clutter.
Ready for a Ad-Free experience? Upgrade now for just $3.89/month!
To enable your Ad-Free Subscription, please fill the fields below
Thank you for your subscription!
Your subscription was successful, now you can enjoy an ad-free experience!! Note: To make sure you get no ads, please make sure to log in to your account. If you are logged in already, then refresh the page. The subscription can be cancelled at any time.
Subscribe
Interested in Family and Parenting?
Get updates on new posts directly to your inbox!
Login
Login via Email
The new BabaMail app is now available at the app stores.
