How to Enjoy Your Kids as a WAHM
“Mama, NO work, no computer!” My 2.5 year old screamed at me the other day. He wanted to play cars, I wanted to finish writing an article for a client. Needless to say, neither of us was too pleased with the other.
As a work at home mom, it’s very easy to get irritated with your kids because they’re taking up valuable work time, distracting you and keeping you from meeting deadlines. Since it’s currently a school holiday, I’m sure a lot of moms are dealing with this, with older kids as well as those of us who have younger children or who have chosen to homeschool. It can make you feel very, very guilty, but you’re not alone.
Being a mom doesn’t mean you enjoy your kids all the time. Sure, you love them, but there are times when you really don’t like them. That can be prevented though. Working at home doesn’t have to mean you have no time for your children. It can be a struggle to balance everything and chances are you will never get that perfect balance, but it’s also important to remember WHY you work from home and why you love your kids. Need some help? Here are some things you can do to really help you enjoy your children.
Keep a journal. Write down the cute things your kids say and do and make a point of writing one thing that you love about each child every day. When you’ve had a long day of tantrums and power struggles, it’s not always easy, but it will remind you of why you have those rascals around.
Make a date. Arrange for a babysitter for your other kids if you have several and take them out for a date, just you and one child at a time. Go for hot chocolate at a local cafe, chat about life and relax. There’s no work with you, so you can really focus on your child. You might be surprised at how much kids open up during dates. Just make sure you do it with everyone . . . no matter how young!
Do something they enjoy. Forget trying to force your likes onto your kids, ask them what they want to do. Tell them you’re all theirs for one hour and then let them decide on the activity. You might find yourself building Legos, playing Wii Golf or crawling through an obstacle course, but just let yourself have fun and check out the joy on their faces when you do what they want to do.
Read a favorite book. Pull out your old Nancy Drews or Tom Sawyer and read aloud with your kids. It’s fun to read back over books that you enjoyed as a kid and they’ll love it to. This is best done snuggled up on a bed together.
Cook together. Why not spend some daily time hanging out and building skills? When it comes time to make lunch or dinner, enlist your kids’ help. This works best if you start when they’re young, but even older children can learn to enjoy making sandwiches, chopping tomatoes, etc. and talking about their day. There’s something relaxing about cooking together and it gives them a skill they can use in the future. Need recipe ideas? Head over to my other blog, Gourmet Mama, for some fast and easy ideas.
Get active together. Sign up for a dance class, martial arts, or just make a point of heading out every Saturday on your bikes or to hike. There’s nothing like a little physical exertion to let you get to know your kids and enjoy life together. Not to mention, if you work at home, you probably don’t get enough exercise.
Have special nights. My mom used to do this with us. Each child gets one night a week that they can stay up 1 hour later than the others. During that hour, you spend one on one time with them, doing whatever they want, be that reading, baking, or making paper dolls. It’s a wonderful bonding experience and perfect for families with more than a couple of kids.
How do you enjoy your kids?
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I chose to work at home so I didn’t have to give up my flexiblity so I could make sure I didn’t miss any school events or activities. It is a juggling act, but I wouldn’t have it any other way. I created Fun FRE Giveaways to help other Mom’s. I hope it will help you too.
If you are a Mom, I think working at home is the only way to go. I have done both and I will take the juggling act of working at home vs. dropping my kids off to a stranger to experience all their “firsts.” Plus, when you love your stay at home business as much as I do, it’s a win win.
If corporations could enable work at home, or telecommuting, this is the best possible way.
I love being able to work at home and spending time with my kids. Often, when I am trying to work, I will give the kids a little job – sealing envelopes, affixing labels. Simple tasks that make them feel like they contributed to the overall job.
Take lots of photos. Videos if you’ve a camcorder.
When older it’s something the whole family will gather around and enjoy looking at.
Great idea!
My husband says I’m a photo addict, so I agree 100% with you, James!
Rather than stretch myself thin over the course of a day, I set aside chunks of highly productive time to both work and spend quality time with the kids. It very easy otherwise spend a large percentage of your day being grumpy for being interrupted whilst not being very productive.
So very true, Sarah! I’ve found that on days when I just go with the flow and work on stuff around the house (baking bread, mending, going for a walk, etc.) the kids are happy and I’m far more productive than I would be if I were sitting at the computer being interrupted every ten seconds!