Weekends are a time to rest, recharge, goof off, do your favorite things, and have fun. Even if you have Kids. You ask them to go outside, break up fights between siblings. You also keep track of how long it is until they go back to school.
If you have kids who are under 10, you know how hard it can be to enjoy a weekend. In the past, you could stay up late, eat breakfast with your favorite magazine, and do a lot of other things. Today, those things aren’t as common.
You’re now a parent. When your kids don’t go to school, they look to you to be their playmate, encyclopedia, snack bitch, and cruise director. And parents, who want to take a break, can’t seem to find one. If you don’t have to go to work on certain days, there are ways to make them less hectic and, hopefully, more fun and enjoy a Weekend With Your Kids.
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Friday is the night to do the housework
Awful, right? But, let me say this. There are a lot of chores to do around the house on the weekends, even if you’re supposed to be relaxing. There are things like laundry and housework that you don’t have the time to do during the week, like sorting mail and organizing the garage.
But young kids want you to play with them if you’re home and available, so that’s why. All the time. Even if you made three siblings for the sole purpose of entertaining each other, they wouldn’t be able to do that. You don’t often get to finish a task in a logical order with kids because they don’t like to wait. In their free time, they want to play games on the board and draw with chalk. Then they want to build Legos and make jewelry. All of us are together. (Even though it’s a lot of work, it’s fun, and you don’t want to miss it.) As many chores as you can do before the weekend comes so that you have more time and attention for your kids.
Prepare to leave the house early
It’s like this: Everybody wakes up on Saturday with a smile on their face because it’s their day off. Kids watch a little TV, you have a late breakfast, they play together for a while, and it’s already 11 a.m. Nobody is dressed, no one has brushed their teeth, and the vibe changes from friendly coexistence to cranky button-pushing. When everyone is ready, it will be almost lunchtime. You know it would be best to get everyone out for a change of scenery (and nap time for the 4 and under set). You can’t go anywhere until at least 3 p.m. now. There is a lot of swearing and scrambling to get kids out the door in nine minutes.
Is the day over if you don’t get up and get out of the house right away on a Saturday or Sunday morning? Not at all. If everyone doesn’t stay inside all afternoon, it can be easier to get people excited and set a good mood for the day. Having a busy morning can make you less guilty about watching TV in the afternoon. so get out now and Enjoy a Weekend With Your Kids
Don’t do too much (or too little)
Even the most outgoing kids get tired of having to get ready for and go to a lot of different things all the time: soccer practice, piano lessons, a trip to the grocery store, and a visit with grandpa. Kids get tired easily when they have too many activities and have to move between them. There should be at least some “nothing” time planned for each weekend. They need a break from the hard work of learning and following school rules.
When we have a lot of kids, it can be bad for us to have a lot of time alone. Even though I think it’s good for kids to be bored, when they’re young, they don’t do very well at it. If you live on a farm with a lot of trees, creeks, chickens, horses, rope swings, and so on, your kids are likely to spend a lot of time exploring nature. Do not ruin this for me if this is a story.
At home, boredom quickly turns into whining and fighting between siblings or kids coming up with “entertainment” ideas that involve me measuring or mixing or managing their frustration or performing a fine motor skill they don’t yet have. So don’t fill your weekends with too many things, either. Then, unless you have kids who are naturally calm and self-sufficient or live on a farm, don’t leave them alone either.
Let each child choose and direct an activity
It’s important for kids to feel like they belong, get attention, and have power. They will act out if they can’t connect with each other, or if their attention and power buckets are low. Give them the chance to fill up their attention and power buckets by playing on their terms for a set amount of time. This way, you can spend quality time together without having to talk or touch each other. Enjoy a Weekend With Your Kids.
A lot of time should be set aside for each child. Let them lead. There are a lot of choices: what game to play, what rules to follow, and what kind of story to make up. As an improv partner, you should say “yes, and” and build on what your partner comes up with without correcting them or trying to take control.
Swap kids with your partner
Have you ever had the pleasure of swapping kids? It’s not about taking someone else’s kids for the weekend, even though that would be nice. Instead, one parent will take all the kids out of the house for a set amount of time so the other gets “me time.” And the other way around, so both parents get a few hours to do what they want.
In the beginning, when I was a new parent, I wanted us to go on every hike, play at the playground, and do everything together. My thoughts have changed after ten years and three kids. Sure, going to a museum with your family or having a picnic with your friends is great. But so is lying on the couch and watching a cheesy rom-com you never let yourself watch, because for once, you’re home, you’re not at work, and the house is peaceful.
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