Six Ways To Spend Quality Time With Your Children As a Working Parent

Working parents face many challenges. It can be difficult to balance work and parenting. Since the time you spend with your children is less than you’d like it to be, quality time with them is essential. If you are away from your children for an extended period of time as a working parent, you may feel guilt and a sense of disconnection. Although it’s not easy, there are some simple, stress-free ways that parents who work can spend quality time with their children while feeling like they’re bonding with them like no one else.

1. Be The One Who Bathes Your Child

Bath time can be a time of bonding and play. It is also a good time to recount the day with your little one while they get all sudsy. The bonus is you get to wash your little cutie and feel you are connecting with them. If this isn’t realistic to do every day, make sure you set aside the time at least a few days a week. You won’t regret it.

2. Read Your Child Their Bedtime Story

This is a great way to provide them with a sense of connection with you right before they go to sleep. This ensures your engrained in their memory and mommy or daddy is there to safely usher them to sleep. If you’re a busy parent, obviously you are, be sure to tell your child reading time is 15 minutes and then it is lights out.

3. Give Your Child Special Time With Just You

For some, this may be a controversial idea if there is more than one child. Be sure to do the same with your other child or children. For your little one, there is nothing like alone time with mom or dad. Give your child a “special time with mommy or daddy” dollar to use for just the two of you. Don’t worry if you’re not crafty, they will be excited anyway. Allow them to use their imagination on what you can do together. If you feel parameters need to be set, offer them three options and allow them to pick one. The will surely make them feel they’ve gotten special treatment and therefore mommy or daddy love them so.

4. Be Silly With Your Little One

Life is busy and can get pretty stressful. Your child has the luxury of being relatively care free. If they are being silly, go ahead and join them. Stop what you’re doing altogether or just be sure to give them good face time as you keep doing what you’re doing and be silly with them. There is nothing like letting go and laughing with your child. Have dance parties in the kitchen while you’re cooking. Tickle them and chase them around the house. Whatever it is you enjoy together that makes you both laugh that hearty, innocent laugh. Your child can be the perfect human stress ball if you are mindful and stop to enjoy these moments with them. As a working parent there is always something you can be doing to catch up at home. Whatever it is you need to do can wait a little longer.

5. Say Yes

As a working parent, you have little time to clean up a mess. Do you ever find it can feel like you say no to everything your child is doing or asks to do? Try saying Yes. I’m not saying to allow your child to run through the street naked. But, if there are moments in which you can lose the reins a little, like allowing your child to play in the dirt, eat messy or stay up just a few minutes longer, be a yes mom.

Understandably, there are going to be things you worked hard to keep your child from doing for their safety or because it’s just annoying when they do it. But, if there is something in which you can offer some wiggle room, your child will appreciate the freedom.

6. Do Chores Together

If there is no magical chore fairy and there are things you need to get done to maintain your home, why not involve your child? Let them be your sous chef and throw away the discarded part of veggies. Have a race to see who can empty the dishwasher and put things away the fastest. Make it fun and allow them to feel they have a special task. They will enjoy this tedious task because it is with you.  

One study conducted by Amy L. Paugh and Tamar Kremer-Sadlik , interviewed 32 dual-earner, two-parent American families. What they found was that everyday activities (like household chores or running errands) were the unplanned, unstructured instances of quality time that helped with relationship-building.

Put away your wallets because they want your attention more than objects!

Engaging in these everyday tasks with your child will eliminate having to choose between things that need to get done and spending time with your child. You don’t need to take them to Disney World to feel you’ve spent quality time with them. It is most often the seemingly mundane things we do with them that mean the most.

Trust that they will enjoy whatever you do with them because it is with you. Try your best to free your mind when you are with your children and stay in the present to remain stress-free. It is not easy being a working parent but you are doing your very best. Enjoy because, to be cliche, they grow up fast!