Slowing Down
It has been over a year since we initially went into a quarantine lockdown. We all took time to adjust to a new normal, spending significantly more time at home and more time (mostly quality time) with our loved ones. Now as the initial year come to an end, we have started to add back in activities and routines that we feel safe and secure doing. Doing so is beneficial to us and our children. However, all these new additions come with trade-offs. Often, we end up sacrificing our quality time with our loved ones. How do we balance our needs, our kids needs, and our time together? How do we ensure that the time we give our children is the quality attention they need to reconnect and recharge?
As soon as I added one thing into my schedule, I immediately felt like the time with my children was dwindling and I don’t mean the time I spent with them on a daily basis, because we were still together all day, I mean the quality time we spent together doing something the children enjoy. So much of the day quickly becomes filled with dishes, laundry, cooking, and tidying; in a flash a day is gone and then a month and then a year. How do we slow down to enjoy these moments making the most of our time with our children?
Here a few tips:
1. Slow Down
Don’t over schedule yourself or your children. Do things that make you happy or your children happy. Children move at a different pace of life, try to follow their pace for a while.
2. Make Mealtime Quality Time
Mealtime is a great time to set aside your phone and really focus on your children. Talking about the high and lows of your day is a wonderful way to learn more about their lives. Incorporating quality questions into meals can help you connect as well. We like The Growth Mindset Conversation Cards.
3. Carve out 20 minutes to play what they want to play.
Find at least 20 minutes of your day to give your children your total and undivided attention. Put everything else aside, let them pick the activity and enjoy. It will fill their bucket and yours!
Life is busy, life is short. Slow down and focus on what matters. Our children our only little for so long, how long will your children continue to say “mommy, will you play with me?” Make the most of it!