Having fun with your children is essential.
Do you feel as though you are ‘managing’ your baby and children? Is your life all about ‘staying in control’ because the alternative is just too scary to contemplate? Or are you having fun with them?
Are you racing on a treadmill as you strive to get ahead in your career or business? Do you feel energised or exhausted by the work you do? Or do you feel as though you are constantly running a race against the clock, with no finishing line in sight?
The beginning of this brand new year is a great time to re-evaluate your life – what kind of parent and partner do you want to be? It's not about making resolutions – you have probably already broken the ones you made on New Year’s Eve anyway. Instead, pause for a few moments and do a ‘health check’ of the ‘fun versus frantic’ factors in your life.
We all know babies and children are little barometers of our own stress. If you are a frantic mum, your child is more likely to be frantic: if he senses your disconnection, his efforts to reconnect with you can present as ‘difficult’ or unsettled behaviour. A need for ‘attention’ is just as valid as a need for food and nourishment – your touch, your eye contact, listening attentively and being present are nourishment for your little (and not so little) one’s soul and self- esteem. They tell him, I am valued. Then he can value himself. He will feel safe and loved and he won’t need to do ‘silly things’ to ‘get your attention’.
Fun parents who seize the moments to create fun create happy memories – for themselves and their children – that will last long after their littlies have grown. What do you remember as the most fun when you were a child? How can you create some of these precious memories for your own family?
- Happy families are healthy families – stress affects your immune system and your child’s. On the other hand, laughter really is the best medicine! Making time for laughter and joy will save time and money on health care for stress related illness – from runny noses and cranky behaviour in children to more serious stress related disorders in adults.
- We can never get back this moment, this day or this week with our child at this age right now. While it’s great to have lifelong goals and aspirations, it’s important to take off the blinkers and stop pretending that we are ‘doing this for our kids’ if these goals are really stealing time and energy from being present and being aware right now. Babies and children don’t care whether they have an ‘inheritance’ when they’re twenty one. They don’t care if you are the leader of the free world if you are so busy you are always saying, ‘in a minute’ or ‘hurry up!’ They need you right now – to love; to laugh; to have fun; to teach them and model values, so they can make their way in the world with confidence and joy.
So please, take a moment to visualise the kind of family you want, the kind of things you can enjoy with your little ones and the values that are important to you. Why not create a fun board –cut out pictures, collect articles and advertisements for activities that you and your child can enjoy together. Write lists of all the things you could enjoy with your family: things that you can do spontaneously in a few minutes – blow bubbles, wrestle, dance to happy music, jump on the trampoline together, plant some seeds or pick flowers or berries from the garden, paint each others’ faces, bake a cake, eat a picnic lunch outside or on the floor inside if it’s raining, make a ‘cubby’ from old sheets pegged onto a tree, ‘paint’ the fence with a small bucket of water and a large house painting brush.
Now, think of things that require a bit more time and perhaps money – then schedule at least one day a month all this year to spend on a fun family activity with no interruptions. This is sacred time that can’t be put aside – whether its’ a trip to the beach, a pizza and DVD night or a live concert, this is fun time!
Above all, guard your own energy by learning to say ‘no’ to activities and people that will sap your energy and 'yes’ to activities that nourish you – your child needs a model of fun and joy, as well as fun time with you. Life is about choices – make the choices that fill your own tank so you have energy to enjoy your family. Delete, delegate and simplify - because fun mummies have fun families!
Pinky McKay, International Board certified Lactation Consultant (IBCLC), runs a private practice in Melbourne specialising in gentle parenting techniques. A sought after keynote speaker and best-selling author with 4 titles published by Penguin, including her recent book Parenting By Heart, she’s an expert source for media appearing regularly on major network TV and quoted in various publications. Pinky’s books, seminars, parenting resources and her free newsletter ‘Gentle Beginnings’ can be found on her website www.pinkymckay.com.au
