Getting through the holiday

The holiday is here and the kids are home full time. Yay! It’s good to have them around, at least in a controlled environment where it is safe or easy to determine whatever goes into their mouth and the activities they engage in.

But it’s bittersweet, right? Cos we still have to go to work. You know all those dreams and ideas we have in our heads about the fun things we want to do with the kids? Now is the time to do them. But we really do not have all the time in the world. Work is still there (I mean, that’s where the money comes from).

There is no reason to panic, though. We have a few recommendations on how you can make the most of this time with your kids while still being a good professional at work:

• Plan for the holiday: Because you are already conscious about enjoying the holiday with your kids, it will do you a lot of good to plan ahead for it. That way you can figure out how things will go.

• Get a few days off work: If you have some vacation days saved up, take a few days from it just to spend some time with the kids. And then you can catch up on some of those fun activities you have planned.

• Get trusted people to keep your kids company (family members, trusted caregivers, friends): When you cannot be present with your child, get trusted people to fill in for you; people who would continue in the values that you would like engraved in your child and who would fill your child’s life with love, laughter and fun while you are not there.

• Involve the kids in chores: They are not too young. Involving them in chores teaches them responsibility and shows you trust them. It’s going to be gradual but a one year old can start by picking up his/her toys and taking their plate (my one year old is excited about getting everything I need to make her “foo foo” now) . They may not do it right, but in time they start to learn. We can spend this holiday getting them started, shall we?

• Get them on a routine: You probably have routines for school days and nights (I doff my heart to mothers who have figured that out, cos I have not gotten that right). And sometimes those routines get thrown out once the holiday comes. Try not to do that this time. You can be flexible with the routines, but don’t completely let go of the reins. Routines bring organisation into kids’ lives. It makes their day predictable and gives them something to look forward to.

• Have some educational YouTube channels on standby (just to augment the physical activities you have planned): Okay! So let’s get real. I know we said we wouldn’t allow our children to watch TV before they were two. And that’s a very good thing, if you are able to follow through with it. But as a professional and sometime to relieve all the members of your village people, 30 minutes of curated educational YouTube shows might help. And you might need it more this holiday season.

I hope this helps you make the best of this holiday season with your adorable little humans. What clean educational YouTube channels have you found useful? Let us know in the comment section. Well done, super moms.

We love you!

Quote of the week

CreditsImage of todos by Volodymyr Hryshchenko