Any working parent knows that free time is a precious commodity. You want as much of it as possible, and balancing the demands of a job and a family can be exhausting. Some parents cope by hiring a host of nannies and babysitters, dropping their kids off at daycare, and ignoring their offspring whenever possible. Yet research shows that the more parental involvement is in children’s lives, the less likely they are to go “wrong”. Parents and children both benefit from a closer connection, which might seem impossible if you’re working.
Luckily, it’s possible to balance work and the demands of children with a little planning and some simple tips.
1. Be realistic and plan your time effectively
Every parenting book and guru tells you to plan your time, but here’s the secret they don’t tell you: be realistic and precise. Take a piece of paper and write down each of the hours of the day along the left-hand margin, then block off the times you’re at work and asleep. This gives you a realistic visual depiction of the hours you actually have free in the day. Then, make a list of everything you absolutely have to get done in the day, and estimate how long it will take you to do each thing. Be realistic, even generous, with the time you allot, or this system won’t work. Starting with the most important thing to get done, allot the remaining hours in the day to the essentials.
Another key thing to remember is to properly judge what’s important. Sports lessons and a list of extracurriculars long enough to make a Rhodes scholar cringe may seem important, but sometimes kids need downtime, too. If you have to choose between several hours of sports lessons that your kids don’t really like and family time, family time should win out.
2. Establish routines
You can make sure everything gets done without the battle against yourself by setting some basic routines and then sticking rigidly to them. If you’re in the habit of cleaning for just ten minutes a day after supper, you won’t have to question whether you really should do it every single night. Make unquestionable and manageable chunks of time, for example, one for the gym, one for general house cleaning, and one for some relaxing activity like a bubble bath or reading a good book.
3. Time flies when everyone helps
When possible, the kids and your spouse should help with the housework. You can even make this into family time. Whoever gets the area of the house they are assigned to clean (rotate so it doesn’t get boring) the cleanest in half an hour gets to pick a movie to watch, for example. A few creative activities like this will entice your kids to help without complaint and even make chores into bonding time.
Being a working parent comes with its own unique set of challenges, but it is not impossible to balance work and family time. Just be realistic and effective, establish routines, and make sure everyone pitches in!
Related posts:
- Running a Family When Both Parents Work
- Parenting as a Business Traveler
- When One Parent Works: Negotiating With Your Family
- How to Avoid Guilt as a Working Parent
- Working From Home to Parent Too
Tags: Balancing Children and Work, Working Mom Advice, Working Parents Tips