How to Find “Me Time” as a Single Working Parent

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How to Find “Me Time” as a Single Working Parent

Being a parent is a pretty difficult task in any instance. The responsibility is enormous and that is exactly why this role should be taken as seriously as possible. However, if you’re a single parent, you may find parenthood even more difficult than other parents. That is pretty obvious since all this responsibility is on one person. Luckily, there are ways to succeed as a single parent and raise the kids in the best way possible. One of the most important things in this mission is to take some time for yourself. This is how to do so without ever feeling guilty. How to find “me time” as a single working parent.

Make a schedule 

One thing that makes everything possible is the organization. If you manage to organize your days well, nothing can stop you. All you need to do to bring some order into your home is to make a clear and well-thought-of schedule and stick to it. That means that you should know exactly when your kids’ nap time is and when their playtime is. That also means that you should know in advance when you all have lunch, when bedtime is, and when the kids can watch the cartoon. This kind of structure will bring a lot of benefits both to you and your kids. 

First off, kids need to learn what discipline is. You shouldn’t be too strict with them, but you should make sure they know how to act and how to treat their own time. This is soon going to become a habit for them, so you won’t even have to remind them about the new rules if you didn’t do this before. This kind of behaviour will be pretty beneficial for you as well. Suddenly, you’ll gain a lot more control over your time. If you work from home, you may find this even easier to do than you’ve imagined. As soon as the house gets quiet during the kids’ nap, make sure to make yourself a coffee and open your favourite book.

Be careful how you spend your time 

Being alone for a while is pretty great when you’re a single mom, but it isn’t really the same if you spend that time on your phone scrolling and if you spend it reading a book you really love. Even though TV and Netflix are pretty cool ways to spend your time, but do you feel that these things replenish your energy? If the answer is no, you need to find some other ways to fill out your free time. Getting that free time isn’t really easy and that is exactly why you should spend it in some quality way. 

For instance, activities like painting or sewing are pretty great when it comes to replenishing your energy. If you’re a bit more extroverted, the perfect activity for you may be grabbing a cup of coffee with your friends or taking a walk together. These activities are so great because they provide energy and they cause you to produce happy hormones. You’ll come back to being a super mom, more motivated than ever if you simply spend your time alone in the right way!

Get some help when you need it 

There is nothing bad in asking for help. We’ve all been in situations when we needed help and the best thing you could in such situations is look for some. Whenever you need other people to take care of your kids, make sure to ask them. One of the best ideas is to look for “childcare centre near me” since, that way, you’ll be leaving your kids with professionals. If you go for this option, you’ll be able to relax knowing that your kids are in good hands. They’ll be in a place where they could learn a lot and develop their social skills and you’ll have the time for yourself that you deserve. 

Another pretty good idea is to ask some friend or a member of the family to help and take care of the kids for a couple of hours. Your parents or siblings could sometimes also look after children as long as you have the time to relax. If you also know another single parent, you can make some kind of agreement with them. For instance, you could take care of all your kids one weekend, and they could do it on the next one. Depending on your and their obligations, make sure to reach an agreement that would suit all of you. 

Don’t feel guilty 

Finally, the last thing you need to do is to spend this time guilt-free. Most of the parents feel some kind of guilt when they don’t spend time with their kids in order to do something for themselves. Even though there is some logic in this, this is completely wrong. Of course, you shouldn’t neglect your kids to watch your favourite series, but you also shouldn’t spend every moment of your life dedicated to the kids. If nothing else, this is crucial for your well-being. Single parents especially tend to feel this kind of guilt. However, this is also good for the kids, so make sure to get rid of this feeling. 

Namely, you may feel like this is something selfish to do, but it really isn’t. Your kids need you to be there for them and to be a good mom. However, if you don’t have at least 15 minutes a day for yourself, how do you expect to stay sane? If you have a ton of challenging tasks to do at work and even more of those to do at home, you’ll quickly start feeling way too tired to function. If you also experience burnout, you’ll hardly be able to do anything as you should, which is the last thing your kids need. 

Conclusion 

In order to raise happy children, you first need to be a happy mother. By making some time for yourself, you are doing more than you can imagine both for you and your kids.

Alexis Walker

Alexis is a Sydney-based part-time lifestyle writer and a full-time mom of two. Her words carry the richness of her travelling and parenting adventures.

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