Parenting is more of a balancing act for a working mother. Working parents have to squeeze out time from their hectic schedule for the kids. Quality time V/s quantity time is a debatable topic but now it is known that quality time is more important than quantity. Read on the ways of spending quality time with your kids. A working mother tries to spend as much time as she can with her child, though it never seems enough when compared to any stay-at-home mother. Is the working mother short changing her son? A child’s well being, security and self esteem are directly dependent upon the quality time spent with his parents. A working mother does spend less time at home. But if she ensures that that time is well spent it does not make her a lesser mother than a stay at home mom. In this articleHow to Spend Quality Time with ChildrenPlan for Spending Quality Time during WeekendsActivities for Working Mothers to Spend Quality TimeSpend Time Chatting with ChildInvolve Your Child in Simple Household ChoresPlay with Your ChildCarryout Art and Craft ActivitiesTips for Spending Quality Time with ChildHow to Spend Quality Time with Children Sometimes, moms-around-the-house pays scant attention to their kids. They provide them with food and other facilities, but their involvement with their children is minimum. They think their presence is enough. But that is not true. It is the way you interact with your kids that makes all the difference. Take the trouble to find out what your child has been doing all day. It really depends on the kind of communication and bonding that mothers have with their children. Children need parents to listen to them. Quality time must not imply that you should cram in many activities in the little free time you have with your child. It is enough to spend time together eating or chatting or playing or cuddling. Try to tune out distractions like the TV, the phone or the radio. It is important that your children have all your attention. Leave your office worries at the office, be happy and cheerful, the mood catches. Plan for Spending Quality Time during Weekends Since you do not have time during the week, try to plan ahead for the weekend. Find out what it is your child would like to do on weekends – playing games, reading stories, painting, activities that are low on stress and high on pleasure. Every once in a while, plan for a weekend getaway. Quality time should not be restricted to mother and child alone. Mothers should make it a point to include fathers in quality time activities. A child must feel loved and cared for by both parents. Activities for Working Mothers to Spend Quality Time The things that you do with your child when you spend quality time with him need not be very complicated or difficult. It should be anything that you both enjoy doing. It can range from a simple conversation to a convoluted aero-modelling session. The key is that it should be enjoyable and should allow for a lot of interaction between you two. You can really do anything at all, but do remember your time constraints. If you have less time, do not open that pottery kit. It is not a good idea to habitually delay dinner or bedtime simply because you have run out of time to finish what you have begun! Some of the activities you can do are: Spend Time Chatting with Child Simply chat. Ask him about his day. Allow him to tell you what he needs to, even if they are little fibs or information so trivial that it can only be interesting to him. There was a little girl who would unfailingly report to her mother exactly what her teacher wore every day, right from the clip on her head down to her slippers. Her mother could not have cared less. But mixed up with this information were also random bits about what the teacher said, what she taught and how she felt generally towards the class and this daughter specifically. The lesson in this is that we really need to listen. Tell him about your day. For heaven’s sake be cheerful. You never know where a conversation will lead once he asks his questions. There is so much to learn from you! Involve Your Child in Simple Household Chores Even household chores can be made interesting. You can do them together. Involve him in the kitchen, arrange some flowers. Unless you need him to do a chore every day, do not make the chores repetitive. Play with Your Child Go out and play. This is actually a great option. It gives you both the opportunity of getting out of the house and working out some stress. It gives your child a chance to work out those muscles, learn a new game. If you make a habit of it, this will be something you will both look forward to. Carryout Art and Craft Activities Art and craft activities, cutting, chopping, sticking things together can be fun. Make a scrapbook of newspaper cuttings. It is easy to do besides being informative. Painting and drawing together can be equally wonderful. Tips for Spending Quality Time with Child Here are some parenting tips for spending quality time with children. Take a walk.Teach him to ride a bicycle or to skate.Go for a swim. Play cricket, football, badminton.Listen to music, sing together. Make up songs or rhymes.Read him stories. Act out the stories together. Play house. Pretend play. Take him to a book store.Take him to any store- to help with the groceries, if necessary. But be careful. Quality time does not always have to end up with you buying him anything. As you can see, there are many things you can do with different amounts of time using different levels of energy. Listen to what he would like to do and go with it. TV watching does not allow for interaction between the two of you, so you should try and avoid that.
Parenting is more of a balancing act for a working mother. Working parents have to squeeze out time from their hectic schedule for the kids. Quality time V/s quantity time is a debatable topic but now it is known that quality time is more important than quantity. Read on the ways of spending quality time with your kids. A working mother tries to spend as much time as she can with her child, though it never seems enough when compared to any stay-at-home mother. Is the
working mother short changing her son?
A child’s well being, security and self esteem are directly dependent upon the quality time spent with his parents. A working mother does spend less time at home. But if she ensures that that time is well spent it does not make her a lesser mother than a stay at home mom.
How to Spend Quality Time with Children
Sometimes, moms-around-the-house pays scant attention to their kids. They provide them with food and other facilities, but their involvement with their children is minimum. They think their presence is enough. But that is not true. It is the way you interact with your kids that makes all the difference.
Take the trouble to find out what your child has been doing all day. It really depends on the kind of communication and bonding that mothers have with their children. Children need parents to listen to them.
Quality time must not imply that you should cram in many activities in the little free time you have with your child. It is enough to spend time together eating or chatting or playing or cuddling. Try to tune out distractions like the TV, the phone or the radio. It is important that your children have all your attention. Leave your office worries at the office, be happy and cheerful, the mood catches.
Plan for Spending Quality Time during Weekends
Since you do not have time during the week, try to plan ahead for the weekend. Find out what it is your child would like to do on weekends – playing games, reading stories, painting, activities that are low on stress and high on pleasure. Every once in a while, plan for a weekend getaway.
Quality time should not be restricted to mother and child alone. Mothers should make it a point to include fathers in quality time activities. A child must feel loved and cared for by both parents.
Activities for Working Mothers to Spend Quality Time
The things that you do with your child when you spend quality time with him need not be very complicated or difficult. It should be anything that you both enjoy doing. It can range from a simple conversation to a convoluted aero-modelling session. The key is that it should be enjoyable and should allow for a lot of interaction between you two.
You can really do anything at all, but do remember your time constraints. If you have less time, do not open that pottery kit. It is not a good idea to habitually delay dinner or bedtime simply because you have run out of time to finish what you have begun!
Some of the activities you can do are:
Spend Time Chatting with Child
Simply chat. Ask him about his day. Allow him to tell you what he needs to, even if they are little fibs or information so trivial that it can only be interesting to him. There was a little girl who would unfailingly report to her mother exactly what her teacher wore every day, right from the clip on her head down to her slippers. Her mother could not have cared less. But mixed up with this information were also random bits about what the teacher said, what she taught and how she felt generally towards the class and this daughter specifically. The lesson in this is that we really need to listen.
Tell him about your day. For heaven’s sake be cheerful. You never know where a conversation will lead once he asks his questions. There is so much to learn from you!
Involve Your Child in Simple Household Chores
Even household chores can be made interesting. You can do them together. Involve him in the kitchen, arrange some flowers. Unless you need him to do a chore every day, do not make the chores repetitive.
Play with Your Child
Go out and play. This is actually a great option. It gives you both the opportunity of getting out of the house and working out some stress. It gives your child a chance to work out those muscles, learn a new game. If you make a habit of it, this will be something you will both look forward to.
Carryout Art and Craft Activities
Art and craft activities, cutting, chopping, sticking things together can be fun. Make a scrapbook of newspaper cuttings. It is easy to do besides being informative. Painting and drawing together can be equally wonderful.
Tips for Spending Quality Time with Child
Here are some parenting tips for spending quality time with children.
- Take a walk.
- Teach him to ride a bicycle or to skate.
- Go for a swim. Play cricket, football, badminton.
- Listen to music, sing together. Make up songs or rhymes.
- Read him stories. Act out the stories together. Play house. Pretend play. Take him to a book store.
- Take him to any store- to help with the groceries, if necessary. But be careful. Quality time does not always have to end up with you buying him anything.
As you can see, there are many things you can do with different amounts of time using different levels of energy. Listen to what he would like to do and go with it. TV watching does not allow for interaction between the two of you, so you should try and avoid that.
