Working full-time outside the home is hard as a mom. Especially when your children are young. I’m sharing below a few ways I have tried to make the little time I have with my girls more meaningful.
I remember when I returned to work after my first daughter was born. I thought returning from maternity leave would be easy. Flash forward to spending the ENTIRE day crying because I never realized how hard it would be. I did not realize how much I would miss my little girl. I slowly started to resent the babysitters for getting to spend so much quality time with my little child. Upset thinking. No, I’m her mom. That should be me there with her all the time, never missing a moment. But, unfortunately for my situation. I have no choice but to work. So I started to get intentional with my time. I knew I couldn’t change the full-time hours that my job required. I could change how I use my time with my daughter to create more meaningful time trying to prevent the feeling of missing out or resentment. Now do not get me wrong. I am SUPER grateful to my family who watches the girls while we work. It still did not make it any less easy leaving for work day after day.
My first tip, simple and so important. The first 15 minutes you see your child for the first time after working. Pour into them. Block out anything that’s around you. Make them feel like you two are the only ones in the room. This will make them feel important and loved. Listen to them, ask them questions about what they did that day, etc. Just solely focus on them.
Second tip. With the time you have been given off. This tip kinda relates to the first one. But take 30 mins- an hour and focus again, solely on them. That means leaving your phone in the other room. Yes, seems crazy, I know. This is not easy for me. I will be the first one to admit, I am fully addicted to my cellphone. It’s a habit I am working on breaking. I find it easiest when I just leave it in another room so I am not tempted to pick it up and look at it.
Third tip. Turn off notifications on your phone, laptop. Whatever you use that can easily distract you. I only leave the notification on my phone to receive texts/calls. This will help you focus your time more and not become so easily distracted wondering who’s commenting on your post, sent a snap chat, etc.
Fourth tip. Switch up your routine. Go outside, bake some cookies, have a dance party, go to the park or zoo. As much as kids thrive off routines. They also create memories based on experiences and moments worth remembering. Think about it. You could spend the entire day with your child and be “present”. But, sometimes, taking a random trip or doing something out of the ordinary, even just for an hour could impact them more strongly than you realize.
Fifth tip. Let them clean with you. I need to create a whole blog post dedicated to how important this is. We are so busy. Working full-time and then trying to spend quality time with your children is hard in itself. Let alone wash those dishes that aren’t going to wash themselves or fold the laundry. Kids often actually like helping. Do not act negatively towards whatever cleaning task you need to accomplish. Make it fun. See who can fold the laundry the fastest, or how much you can dust in 5 minutes. Get creative. This will also help in the long run for you mama. Your children will grow up realizing they need to be a part of the household and how important it is to be a part of the family.
We are all trying our best. You wouldn’t have made it to the end of this blog post if you didn’t care about being the best mom you can be. I 100% believe we are all the BEST mothers for your child. While most of us have to work full-time. Some may even love their job and feel guilty for spending time away from their children. I believe that there will never be enough time. Is not that the beauty of loving someone so deeply. Then no time is ever sufficient. So take the small moments you are blessed with and make the most of them.
bosssybabe says
Wonderful post!! I give my husband heck about being on his phone near our daughter sometimes but I’m just as bad (shhh)! I also get my daughter (amidst 3yo)to help with the cleaning and tidying and she loves it. You’re right, kids love being in control and helping out, especially if you give them a task they’re capable of accomplishing… It gives them so much pride and confidence! 🙂
mamasimplified01 says
Yes they do! It’s amazing to watch them thrive in simple little tasks. Ah I know I’m at fault too with my phone. I do the same thing with my hubby. Sometimes I’m like please get off your phone. Then I’m like, crap…I need to get off my phone too. It’s definitely something that’s a challenge cause I’ll be the first to admit I’m definitely addicted to my phone.