Seems that many of us working parents all face the same issue: Finding time to spend with our families. Between work, chores and other necessities, oftentimes family time takes a backseat. We want to do it. We want to go out with the kids and the spouse and spend a day at the beach or in the park, picnicking and talking, but if we take time to do this, how we will get the other things done that we need to do: laundry, chores, grocery shopping, cleaning.
This is a common complaint that I hear both in my job and from my friends: Not enough time in the day to get everything done and still spend quality time with the kids. So here are a few tips in case you are looking for a few ways to sneak in great family time.
1. Movie night. We have just implemented this in our home with our three year old. One night a month we rent a DVD from the movie store, pop up some popcorn, crawl under a blanket on the living room floor and watch a movie. My daughter loves it, and my husband and I enjoy watching her as she watches and enjoys and laughs at the movie.
2. Breakfast morning. We do breakfast out every Saturday at our favorite little local spot. During breakfast my daughter colors and my husband and I have a chance to catch up with each other. Afterwards we do a family outing, to the beach or the park or the mall.
3. Family date night. You know about spouse date night, but how about family date night once a month? Make it a ritual, mark it on the calendar, and let the kids take turns deciding where you are going to go: movies, outdoor concert or festival, fair. They’ll love being in charge of figuring out the evening’s events and you’ll love the quality time that you get to spend with everyone.