3 Tips for the Stay at Home Mom. How to be More Present with Your Children.
Let me just say, it can be HARD sometimes to be more present as a stay at home mom. You have laundry piled up, dishes in the sink, the bathtub hasn’t been touched in weeks and the chores keep mounting. In this post I will give you some tips on how to be more present with your children so that you can have peace in the home.
Raise of hands if you find it hard to be present with your children as a stay at home mom! As stay at home mamas, we do many jobs at once and they last 24/7, especially if you have infants who are nursing around the clock.
There is no wonder that we can get frazzled, lose our joy and fall into a depressed state wondering when the light will appear at the end of the tunnel. I’m sure there are many who feel this way. You try to be present but there is just so much to do and the more you try the more chores and duties pile up around the home.
Let’s face it, our status of staying home can feel like a burden at times, drawing us into the dark hole of feeling alone and without purpose.
Related Post: Why You Need to Find Purpose in Motherhood
3 Tips to Being More Present as a Stay at Home Mom.
You probably have littles running around so I will make this short and sweet. There are 3 tips that have helped me be more present with my children that I know will help you as well. Even if your children are older, teenagers, this applies!
#1 Involve your Children in Chores
The house can get crazy, especially if you homeschool. Your kiddos are home all day every day which can cause messes, spilled snacks on the floor, pee all over the toilets (where my boy moms at?! ha!) and laundry as well as dishes piled high.
Mamas, we can either work harder, or smarter. Instead of rushing around constantly cleaning everyone’s messes, let your children help!
This depends on your kids ages obviously, but even at 2 your toddler can help you wipe down windows and pick up toys. It’s a good way to get them started at a young age to be tidy. This way, as they grow older, their habits will be healthy and you in turn will not have to carry the load yourself.
Involving your children with the cleaning or tidying of the house takes the weight off of you, which in turn lessens the stress because of the work load. And not only are you gaining help, you are cleaning together! You are teaching and spending time with them as you clean!
Turn on some up beat music to make it fun and memorable for all!
#2 Dedicate Play Time Throughout the Day.
This tip is extremely doable and helpful to grow in relationship with your children. It also works well if you work from home.
Think of your day, and the schedule that you normally have. Do you have blocks of time that you are free? Instead of scrolling social, which is my next topic, be intentional with that time by being intentional with your children.
Maybe it looks like reading a few books after breakfast or going for a walk around the neighborhood. You could play in the backyard with them for an hour or two before returning inside to start dinner.
The options are endless, but the point is to dedicate time with your children throughout the day so they feel loved, seen and valued. Because what is going through our children’s minds when mommy is constantly cleaning or on her phone or just too busy to play.
If you have teenagers, you can still take time for them too. Play a fun board game, have a movie break, or prepare a fun snack together! Endless ideas!
#3 Remove Social Media From your Devices – Unplug.
This tip may not be the one you wanted to hear. But let me tell you from my own experience, removing social from my phone was a life change.
Tech companies and the social apps want us to chained like a slave to our devices. The crazy thing, they have succeeded in doing so. You can do research and find this to be true. We must put our devices, tv, social apps where they belong, in our control. Not them controlling us.
The best thing you can do, if you find yourself scrolling too much, is just to remove the apps all together. Even for a week, and see if you notice a difference in your mood and productivity.
Social media can be used for good. Tech can be as well. Just keep them where they belong and use them wisely. Don’t become so addicted to the point where you are missing your babies growing up right before your eyes. No amount of following or knowledge gained from the world is worth that.
As Christians, especially, we must tune out the noise to hear our Lord. Set the example for your children so they will have healthy boundaries with tech when the time comes.
Another is unplug altogether. This goes hand in hand with removing social apps but limiting screen time is so beneficial, even for the entire family. More time spent creating and less time being a couch potato lol!
Related post: Could Social Media be the Ultimate Distraction for a Christian?
Choosing to be More Present
To be more present with your kids as a stay at home mom is a choice. It is one you must make daily. The world is going to pull you in a million different directions. It will also try to grab your children’s attention in negative ways.
To keep your child focused on the morals and values you set, you have to lead as the example. Being more present is about stepping into the role as a mother that God has given you. The enemy will throw lies at you every day that you have no purpose, that your life is meaningless, you’re not good enough, that you lack patience to do this and on and on.
Shut that liar up in the name of Jesus, and walk in your calling mama! Disciple those babies by making them the priority. Lean on the Lord for your strength! (insert clap emoji)
Take these tips and make them your own. You can use them to form your own way to be more intentional and to set healthy boundaries with things that are a distraction.
Don’t let the distractions win.
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