Don't Forget Your Children

Not too long ago, I was in the midst of a daily task and my four year old asked me to come play hide and seek with him. I told him once I finish this task I would come and play. Well moms, as you know, one task turned into another task and another task. By the time I was done, it was nap-time. 

As a stay-at-home mom (SAHM), I know the tasks are ever mounting and there doesn’t seem to be enough time in the day to get it all done. One thing I want you to remember is, don’t forget your children.  You may think that since you are home all day with them and they physically see you, that you are spending time with them. That couldn’t be further from the truth. We have to stop and make time for them. Let’s talk about ways to accomplish this. 

Schedule time

Oftentimes as a mom and especially as a SAHM we schedule our weekly tasks. Mondays you may dust and vacuum, Tuesdays you clean the bathrooms, Wednesdays you wash all the linens and so on. What if we took that same planning energy and scheduled a time each day to be actively present in spending time with our children? 

Your children may be small like mine right now, so spending time with them can be as little as fifteen minutes or as great as dedicating the whole afternoon to them. It can be whatever you need it to be, just make sure it’s on the calendar. Do not underestimate what your presence means to them. 

Be present

Think of this time as a daily or weekly date with your children. Just like when you go on a date, you give your date your full attention. You put your phone away and you are fully engaged. Give that same energy to your children. Put the phone down, turn the TV off (unless that is the activity), and engage with your children. You will not regret it! 

What should you do during this time?

Whatever your kids like to do.  Go to the park, take a walk, get on the floor and just be in the midst of whatever they are doing. Play dress up, build blocks, race cars, color, read, put puzzles together. It doesn’t matter what you do, just as long as you are present and willing to play. 

One thing I’m learning about my children is their  love languages. My oldest, one of his love languages is quality time. If I just come and sit on the couch next to him while he’s watching his favorite movie, that’s enough for him. If I go sit outside and watch him play, that’s enough and he is happy. It doesn’t take much, we just have to take the time to do it. 

Encouragement

I hate to be cliche and steal from Nike, but just do it! You may be reading this thinking “my children won’t even remember these times”. You may be right, but they will be shaped by the love they feel during those moments. There will never be a day that you will regret spending time with your children and seeing the impact of your presence. If you don’t, you will regret the time you didn’t spend with them. 

Laundry and household tasks are important and will always be there. Your children will not be. They will grow up and start their own lives one day. Now is the time, while you still have them in your home, no matter what age they are. Put the broom down and spend time with your children. As always mommas, you got this!

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