When you are in the thick of raising little human beings, it’s hard to stay balanced. So many posts I read from young parents talk about how stretched they are, how worn out, how hard it is. Yes, when you are doing it right, there will be times of exhaustion, but it shouldn’t be ALL the time. It is imperative that you find a way to balance all the crazy with some calm in order to keep yourself and your family in alignment. If you cannot stay in touch with your best self, you will have a harder time being the best parent you can be.
If you are having an extended stretch of crazy, then simplify. Stay home. Unplug. Breathe. Collect yourself and get your family’s rhythm back in sync.
- Get outside. Grab a bedsheet and take your breakfast, lunch, or dinner and have a picnic in your yard, preferably under a tree. Together.
- Grab the art supplies and start creating. Go into their room/playroom, not just the kitchen table, if that will make it a little different...special. Inspire each other’s imaginations. Make brown bag puppets or nature collages from things you gathered on your picnic.
- Put on music and sing together. Teach them YOUR songs. There is no rule that says you have to listen to kid’s music all the time. Bond through music. Have a dance party until everyone is sweaty and exhausted and happy!
- Star gaze at night. When you don’t have to rush out of the house early the next morning, you can let your child experience the excitement of getting to stay up a little bit later in order to gaze at the stars with you. Grab some blankets and look at the sky. While you gaze, tell a story or two about when you were little. Children LOVE to hear stories about when the adults they love were their age.
There are so many alternatives to balance a crazy/busy life, but you have to CHOOSE them. You have to be okay with declining invitations to do “stuff” and, instead, choose the simple things that will nourish your family, so everyone will be healthy and ready to handle the next wave of crazy!