Some parents feel guilty about spending so much time away from their child, but some have to work because they need the money, and others because they find work fulfilling. Working parents are often concerned about whether they are making the right choice.
The alternative would be to sacrifice the finances and delay personal fulfillment by taking care of their child full-time. There is another choice! Ditch the guilt and work toward creating a quality child as a working parent. Following are some ideas along those lines.
- Make time for reading with, to and listening to a child read. This can be at bedtime, or even while the child takes a bath. Double dipping into time this way is a must for the working parent.
- Lie in bed with the child for a few minutes on as many nights as possible. This can be for five minutes, if other demands wait. During this time, you can be quite in the dark and get in a sleep frame of mind. Your child will go to sleep with your scent and tender look captured in their senses. The beauty is that you don’t have to stay until they go to sleep.
- Share stories with your child. You can do this during drive time. Don’t let it distract you, but be certain to tell them about some of the good and bad things you did as a child. One idea is to share the story of what you did on the way to a destination. On the way back, discuss how that choice was or wasn’t a quality decision.
- Volunteer with your child. Many organizations need helping hands. You teach by example, so if you are concerned about feeding the hungry, your child will take notice. They can grow up with a heart of compassion.
- If your conversations with others have to go south, remember little pitchers have big ears. If a friend wants to vent about their spouse or child, your child doesn’t need to hear this. Send them to their room with a definite task, or you can go to a private spot. They may take away the message that it’s OK to talk about people behind their backs as a standard practice if you let them listen in.
- Let your child in on some of your problem-solving practices. For instance, if the mailman delivers the wrong mail to your address, take it to the neighbor with your child in tow. Let them also see you kindly address the mail person about the matter. The same applies if a waiter or drive-through person messes up an order.
- If you use something, put it back. When you model and expect this type of responsible behavior of them, your child will come up with plenty of practice returning shopping carts to the store or the bay, returning toys to their boxes and books to their shelves. Other parents will be impressed and more welcoming of your child if they see them putting things back where they belong.
- Count to 10 or higher when you are angry about something. Do it aloud and tell your child why. “Mommy is upset that she couldn’t get her money out of the ATM,” is an example.
- Let your child watch quality TV shows and movies. Be careful here, for even some movies for kids have some non-quality messages. Look at sites like Focus on the Family, where you will find all kinds of wholesome content.
Creating a quality child requires quality time. If you manage the available time wisely, and carve out special moments when you can, you can impart so much quality into your child’s life, that they will be fruitful. They can grow up and be the type of person that you will be proud to have parented.