In 5 Minutes, I’ll Give You the Truth About How to be Present with Your Kids

Working so much as a professional mother leaves many of us feeling guilty about time spent with our kids. Our arrival at home often deeply plunges us into the grind of household chores such as cooking, laundry, and cleaning.  Our little ones who have been craving time with us are actually fine, but we feel we don’t give enough of ourselves.

On top of mom guilt, we are often physically present with our kids, holding them in the rocking chair, but our minds are far away planning the meal or work tasks for the following day.  We are neither here nor there.  We are pulled in too many directions or so we think.

Here are 7 tips to help you be more present and make the most of your time with your children

1.      Put away screens when you walk in the door if you can.  Everyone should put their phone in a basket for safe keeping for a certain number of hours.  This forces us to engage with one another

2.      When you feel your mind pulling you away, feel your body to anchor you to the present moment and take a few deep breaths.  Think to yourself, “here and now.”

3.       If children are old enough to understand, incorporate them into chores like cooking and cleaning. 

4.      If evenings are too hectic, savor 5 minutes of chit chat or snuggle time with little ones in the morning or come up with a morning ritual like gratitude practice or reading a book before you go to work.

5.      Do a kid-related activity with them a few times a week: drawing, playing a sport, going on a walk.

6.      Take some time to yourself each day so that you have more of yourself to give.

7.     Savor the moment.  Notice your child creating something or enjoy that hug.

I challenge you to pick one of the above to commit to each week.