Life is too busy in this fast world. No matter whether you are a stay-at-home mother or have a 9-5 job, at some point, you’ll realize that maybe you are not spending enough time with your child.
According to research, parents spend 150 minutes per day on average with their kids in the US. Well, I am not here to calculate the amount of time a parent should spend with their kids, as I prefer quality over quantity. So no matter how much time you are taking out of your busy daily schedule for your kid, make it worth it.
Doctors and psychologists believe that the first few years of a child are the most precious time. Playful learning methods have a powerful impact on their development.
A mother or a father is the most loved person in a kid’s life, but that doesn’t mean that you have to spend the whole day with your kid.
But certainly, playing with your kid and spending some productive time efficiently with them helps develop a bond and it’ll give them the assurance that you’ll be present with them in times of need.
Am I Too Busy For My Child?
This question leaves most parents with little downtime. Of course, nobody can find enough hours out of their too-busy schedule to spend time with their kid, and if they do, they can’t make the most out of it, as they are clueless about which tasks their kids will enjoy.
Research supports the fact that a kid’s emotional and social development is highly impacted by their bonding with their parents.
If you’re feeling guilty for being too busy and not spending enough free time with your kid, just remember that we, parents, have to zoom from one task to another with the same enthusiasm and energy. Likewise, we are the caretakers of everything, meal makers, homework helpers, and full-time nurses.
So, get yourself out of guilt and read this article further to find out time management techniques and ways to spend productive time with your child in this busy life.
Disadvantages of Being Too Busy To Play
As discussed earlier, spending quality time with your kid imparts positive impacts on their social personality. However, not spending enough time with your child can cause behavioral disorders. These are some negative effects of not spending quality time with your kid.
Stressful Behavior
The symptoms of a stressful behavior may not show immediately but the end results are disastrous for a kid. He may feel lonely, isolated, and depressed, and this will certainly show in his behavior.
Use Gadgets and Social Media a lot
Kids spending most of their time on phones or computers, playing games, watching cartoons, and using social media is a sign that their parents are not spending enough time to create some good memories and discuss matters with them.
Kids love talking about their daily routine, school life, and toys with their parents. And if the parents don’t listen to their cute little talks with extra attention, it creates a sorrowful emotion among them which can be clearly seen in their behavior.
Poor Academic Performance
Not only are their social and personal life is disturbed, but not spending time with parents also results in the downfall of academic performance. Research also claims that those children whose parents help them in their academics and guide them in studies, especially in primary school, focus well in higher studies and are able to act upon their parents’ expectations.
Family Bonds Fall Apart
Family members bond with each other through conversation, spending time together, eating, and playing with one another. Most of the time, when family members sit together, they mostly watch TV.
It’s something that a kid’s mind can’t process; it creates a delusional mindset and prevents bonding with family members. So, in order to make your kid friendly and optimistic, ask family members to show enthusiasm towards his little talks and try to conversate with him rather than spending the whole time in front of a screen.
Advantages of Playing With Your Child
Physical and mental activities keep the children active and engaged. It’s necessary for their healthy development and learning life skills. So, in order to make them competitive in this world, such lessons and activities should be practiced from birth. Here I have compiled a list of advantages and positive impacts of playing with your kid on his behavior and performance.
Physical Health Improves
Playing some physical and mind games with your kid definitely improves his physical health. It helps in the stress-free development of both mind and body. Kids’ stamina, coordination, and balance improve and he gets more confidence about his gaming skills. It also sparks the light of participating in extracurricular activities among toddlers.
Social Skills Improve
Not only does it benefit their emotional well-being, but their social skills also improve remarkably. They learn to express their feelings while being self-disciplined.
Strengthens the Bonding
While spending a playful time, parents connect fully with their children. It gives them a chance to strengthen the bond between them. Parents should learn to spend quality time with their kids, where they don’t direct them, give them freedom to take their decisions and be cheerful.
Way To Spend Quality Time With Your Child
Parents should be with their kids at the time of their happy and sad moments.
Here we have compiled a list of activities you can perform with your kid.
Reading Them a Book
Spare a few minutes daily before falling asleep and read your a few pages of kid’s favorite book. The book can be a fairy tale, a science fiction book, or a comic. The magic of storytelling helps strengthen the bond between you two.
Involving in Active Physical Activities
Playing active games helps them learn new skills and gives them a chance to play and challenge. Kids love solving challenges and teaming up with you not only means that you are their best friend, but it also says that they trust in you in every field of life.
You can help them learn new skills like:
- Riding a bicycle
- Solving a puzzle
- Swimming
- Skateboarding
And during these activities, you can show and teach them about the importance of making mistakes and moving on with no grudges.
Watching Favorite Series or Cartoon Together
If you have decided to make the connection with your child stronger, it can be as easy as watching his favorite cartoons together. It will give him confidence in his choice. Moreover, to make the time more memorable, you can bring in some popcorn or hotdogs to enjoy while watching TV.
Visit a Nearby Orphanage, an Old Age Home, or an Animal Shelter
Spending some time in an orphanage or old age home will surely leave a positive impact on them. It’ll be dearest for them to support a good cause. You can even pack some gift items for the kids at the orphanage and ask your child to distribute them among them.
It will be a great way of moral teaching, and you can also contribute to making this world a better place.
Bake Together
Food brings family closer. Spare some time to bake cookies, pancakes, or cupcakes with your kid. Or you can take him for a nice dinner date at a fancy restaurant. Your kid will surely remember this experience for their whole life.
Parenting Tips For Busy Mothers
Learn some hacks
Learning some life-saving hacks can save some time. For example, you can attend your meetings online from home, check emails during a bathroom break, or order most of your in-store items online.
You can make a to-do list to save some free time. This is a smart era requiring working moms to be smart and active.
Ask for help
If you can’t manage everything yourself, don’t feel bad about asking for help from your loved ones or someone you can trust.
Have some “me time”
Being social and managing everything yourself will eventually make you feel exhausted and stressed. So, in order to recharge and feel less overwhelmed, create some quality “me” time.
Some self-care activities you can perform during this “me” time can be:
- Exercise
- Yoga
- Watching Favorite movie
- Get together with your friends
Final Verdict
No matter how much time you can take out of your busy routine for your kid, it’s the effort that really matters. You don’t know which activity will become your family tradition and your child will cherish while growing up.
Kids only require their parents’ time and attention, so creating fun activities with them and acknowledging them for small achievements indeed makes a strong bond between you two.
