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“A happy childhood is one of the best gifts that parents have in their power to bestow.” – Mary Cholmondeley

We remember our childhood as the time in our lives when we were most carefree. No bills to pay, no bosses to appease, and no responsibilities for our own care. However, we forget that childhood can also be a time of stress and uncertainty. A time in our life when we had no choice in where we lived, what we ate, or even the clothes we wore. Those problems seem small in retrospect, but they loomed large in our childhood minds.

This is why we may often forget that children can benefit from learning some self-care techniques. And we as their parents are not only the best teachers for that but also their best role models. When you feel like you’re overwhelmed with trying to be a good parent while juggling work, home, and social responsibilities, know that there is help available to you. Read on for some tips from Fight Fitness Center.

Modeling Self-Care

You are your child’s first and most important model for how to live, behave, and interact with the rest of the world. Verywell Family points out that what they learn from you will follow them for the rest of their lives. If you’re neglecting self-care, it is more than likely they will too.

Make sure you’re letting them see you prioritize them, your work, and yourself as a way to understand how to balance those things in their own life, like themselves, school, and play. How you interact with them can teach them a lot about how to interact with the world.

1. Listen to your child without judgment.
2. Give your child the chance to talk about their feelings.
3. Acknowledge what your child has said.
4. Demonstrate empathy for the difficulties that your child is going through.
5. Be patient.
6. Encourage your child to get in an adequate amount of exercise by being active yourself; go online and check out home product reviews on equipment like an exercise bike or, for the kids, a trampoline or even a skateboard, then see if nearby retail outlets carry the items that work for your family.

Creating a More Carefree Home

It’s no secret that our environments influence the way we think, feel and act. If our home is cluttered and disorganized, it’s more than likely that we and the rest of our family will be too. Clutter creates anxious and stressful energy in our homes. Reducing that will go a long way toward living a more harmonious life in our house but also in ourselves. Being disorganized means wasting time searching for things, so learning and practicing “a place for everything and everything in its place,” will make for a much happier household.

Bringing in plants and opening blinds and curtains to allow more sunlight raises the mood of everyone. The Old Farmer’s Almanac explains that plants help filter the air in our homes and sunlight is a scientifically proven mood elevator.

Filling our homes with healthy food is not only good for everyone’s overall health but replacing sugary foods with the healthier snack options of fruits and nuts will combat fatigue and raise everyone’s energy levels and moods.

Proactive Measures for Working Moms

Carve out time for your children, specifically downtime, where you just get to hang out and play with your kids. Unless you grab a pen and block out a few hours each week, it probably won’t happen. Make time with kids a priority by forcing it into your busy schedule.

Find ways to prioritize your children, especially during busy seasons. Having a plan of attack will ensure your children have quality time with you, and you won’t feel as much pressure. Be available for bedtime every night; read books to them, tell stories or sing to them. Have your children help with simple chores while you’re working in the kitchen and cook some easy meals together. Plan some new experiences together, like vacations or just a trip to the zoo or an aquarium, so you have something to look forward to.

Self-care is especially helpful for children who have parents with a lot on their plates, like single parents or two working parents that are stretched thin, but with a little effort to follow the above tips like modeling self-care, creating a safe and carefree home, and prioritizing time with the kiddos, it can work for any family.

Fight Fitness Center offers a professional facility and a complete program that pertains to both mind and body of each member. All our classes are instructional classes – we work on practical techniques in a challenging and hard workout. We’d love to hear from you!