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Juggling Many Hats
Question: My husband is in the navy and out to sea until September! I have 3 kids 19 months, 9 months, and 5 years. I work fulltime, and often find that I dont have much time for my kids or myself. How can I juggle some many hats at once?
Michelle
Answer:Dear Michelle,
Taking care of three children is hard enough with two parents, much less
one. The best advice I can give you is to delegate, delegate, delegate.
Enlist family members to babysit, or barter with friends and neighbors for
some babysitting time. Even if this is just once a week, it's amazing what
you can accomplish in a short time when you have a plan in place. When the
baby is napping, get the other two children to help Mommy do a "ten second
tidy", cleaning up toys in the livingroom or playroom. Put on fun peppy
music, arm the little housekeepers with feather dusters just their size (or
tube socks on their arms) and get to it! Let them help you wipe off
mirrors, dust low shelves, empty bathroom trashcans, and other simple tasks.
I found when my son (now 5) was a toddler, I could either beat him or join
him when it came to interruptions. I could embrace them, take a break, and
be a kid for awhile playing with Legos or Playdoh, read him a story, or take
a walk. It got us both out of the house and gave me a fresh perspective on
whatever I was trying to work on (my home business, bill paying, and so
forth). And instead of waiting for him to nap or go to bed at night before
doing chores, it worked much easier for us both to do our chores together.
Also, it gives kids the opportunity to see you working as a team, which they
don't see if you're only cleaning and cooking when they're not around.
Be sure to make time for yourself. Don't hesitate to have Quiet Time during
naptime, rather than spending every moment cooking and cleaning. Try to keep
meals simple and quick-- delegate washing, preparing, and arranging foods to
your little Galloping Gourmets. Even 19-month-olds can wash fruit, spin a
salad (wheeeeee!!!) or tear lettuce. Give your 5 year old a dull plastic
knife for slicing bananas or cheese to make easy snacks. Prepackage snacks
in ziploc bags and place them on a lower shelf for the kids to grab when you
tell them it's snacktime. Let them help you and save time and your sanity
while you're at it! Before long, September will be here and you'll have a
sense of normalcy, until they grow a bit and the rules all change again!
Good luck,
Debbie Williams
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