Wednesday, October 10, 2012

Parenting tip: Time for you


We live in a busy where with hundreds of different distractions everyday pulling us in all directions. Even as a stay at home parent it can be a challenge to find some down time just to take a break and focus on some inner meditation. I am not talking hyper spiritual people of the earth kind of stuff, but rather just doing something else for a little while to maintain sanity.

Golf, hunting, and shopping are among the first few hobbies coming to my mind which someone might be able to use for down time. It is important for you as well as your children for you to have some time to balance out all of life’s troubles and worry’s with some plain fun. Fun is allowed, even among Bible believing people. I never see anything wrong with a good laugh, a good wholesome activity, we all need that in order to not get completely lost in the low hum of society.

You may find it hard to get away when you really need to, because even when you are not in the middle of screaming children or a part time job on the side, life just doesn’t allow too much time for anything else. Stay at home dads are not any different in their needs to get out and do something. The house is also the work place, and even the occasional trip to the yard doesn’t help.

Time for myself, has for the greater majority of the time been either during a closing shift on a slow night, or if I am blessed enough to get all the children to sleep while driving around town. Sometimes even something as simple as a chocolate milkshake is a sweet taste of something different and pleasurable to take my mind away from chaos. And yes raising children even with all the planning and practice is still a bit overwhelming. Sometimes the greatest moments of relaxation are those moments after everyone in the house is asleep and I can hear myself think.

Give your thoughts to the Lord, allow Him to fill you with peace and hope in every difficult moment. You see there is something about having every moment with the kids being a teachable moment. More often than not, I am the one learning. He is using the very words I say to my kids to remind me of the very things He has taught me before. ‘Why don’t you just listen the first time”. “That will only end in you hurting yourself and no one will be happy.” So on and I am sure you have your own. If I jotted down all of them, no one would want to take the time to read them all.

So take some time for yourself, every day or at least once a week. Also take some time for you and your spouse. They are your partner in this parenting world and deserve attention, respect, and admiration. You will never be working as hard as you think you are. Show your kids what it means to be an adult because you set the example for them to follow. Our next generation needs to know it is okay to spend a little time away, it is good to have some fun, and you can never invest to much in time spent with loved ones.

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