How to Spend Time With Your Kids When You Don’t Have Time
As a busy parent, we find ourselves juggling many responsibilities. We need to take care of our children, clean the house, make all the meals, bring in a paycheck, and (if we’re lucky) get things done outside of the home! As our to-do lists grow ever longer, we may start to feel like the best years of our children’s lives are slipping away from us. We want to spend time with them, but we just don’t have the time. Here is how to spend time with your kids when you don’t have time.
1. Find ways to put together time into your schedule
If you need to go to the grocery store, why not take one of your kids along with you? You don’t always have to be doing something glamorous to get some much needed time together. Bring your kids with you when you run errands, do your housework while they do their chores, and find ways to put together time into your regular schedule.
2. Schedule “dates” with your kids each week
If you are worried about not getting enough time for your kids, make a time to schedule just for them. Pick a day when you are not very busy and schedule a date with one of your kids! You can go out somewhere, or just spend the day at home doing something they enjoy. If you have multiple children, try doing multiple days or trade off each week.
3. Don’t be afraid to move things around
Chores can wait and the best thing about them is that they don’t have a time limit! Move around your chores or cook dinner in batches to create small pockets of time. When your kids are older, they won’t be grateful for the dishes that weren’t in the sink, they’ll be grateful for the time they got to spend with you and how you always made time for them.
4. Multitask when you can
If you can multitask, you should! Multitasking can not only help you be able to get more done, but you can accomplish things you never thought possible! Read a book while you are on the elliptical (but please be safe!) or even quiz your children while dinner is cooking. For example, instead of doing one thing at a time, look for ways you can get more done at the same time. In most cases, it takes just as long to cook two casseroles as one, so why not make a double batch?
5. Outsource or even cut things out
Don’t be afraid to delegate, even if that means outsourcing all together! Have a maid come once a week to clean the house, order a meal planning kit, or even have your groceries delivered to save time. While this might be a little more pricey, the time you get with your kids is priceless!
You don’t need a lot of time in order to spend quality time with each of your kids! I hope this guide has not only given you a way to make sure you get that special time with them but that you never feel like you’re missing out again!
