One of the posts that I read this week really caught my eye. It's from Stephanie at Home With the Kids and in it she asks Do You Forget Family Time?
When you work at home it is so easy to work nonstop. We've blogged on the importance of setting boundaries before on Work From Home Momma, but it bears repeating. It always makes me sad when I hear of work-at-home moms working twelve, fourteen, even sixteen hours, on a regular basis.
Sure, we've all put in extra hours while trying to meet a deadline, but doing it on a regular basis is a sure-fire formula for burnout. Even if you don't burn out, you'll miss out. You'll miss out on important family milestones, on the day-to-day struggles and triumphs of parenting, and on winning your child's trust and affections.
How can you make sure that you make time for family? Here are six surefire tips:
- Eat at least one meal a day as a family. It could be breakfast, it could be lunch, or it could be dinner. Pick the time when you are most likely to all be there. It doesn't have to be a home-cooked meal, you can order pizza if you want. The important thing is that you are all together.
- Set aside at least fifteen minutes a day to spend with each child regardless of your workload. The fifteen minutes doesn't have to be a formal question and answer session, it can be as casual as asking a child to accompany you to the store on an errand.
- Take the family and leave the house. Leave the work behind. If you schedule regular family outings not only will you be building memories for your kids, but you will also be getting to know them better. Outings don't have to be expensive. An outing could be as simple as packing a picnic and spending a day at the park.
- What do your kids really watch on TV and listen to on the radio (or MP3, iPod, etc)? You'll never know unless you make the time to sit with them during these activities. Talk about what they watch and listen to with them.
- Invest in a classic board game. Classic board games are often available for less then $10.00. Turn off the computer, the television, and the computer games. Have a regular family game night at your house instead.
- Get to know their friends and their friend's parents. Be the parent who hosts the get-togethers. Talk to your children about their friends.
What about you? What do you do to schedule family time?
Leave a comment and let us know.
I was just thinking about this the other day. Trying to establish a business at home can eat up much of your day. I start to feel guilty that I'm not fully doing enough as a mom...even though that's why I want to work at home! Great checklist!
Posted by: BloggyMommy | September 25, 2007 9:07 PM | Permalink to Comment