Time is flying! As parents we can all agree, the parenting journey really does go way too fast. Do you find yourself scrolling through photos on your phone, remembering when your child was just a newborn? Has your child just lost their first tooth and now they are ready to sit in the front seat of the car?
If this pandemic has taught as anything as parents, it’s to feel centred and savour our children. Soaking up the magic that is our children every second we have the chance.
Our top tips on how to enjoy the little moments of being a parent;
- Watch your child when they sleep
- Break a personal parenting rule or two. Take your child to enjoy a massage, they may be only three, but it is a memory you will savour for a long time.
- Be silly. Sing at the top of your lungs in the car, dance in the aisle of Coles, pull a harmless prank!
- Capture, whether with your camera or a pen and paper, not just their milestones but the scenes you see every single day.
- Choose one thing you can accept, rather than tolerate. Letting go can alleviate so much agitation and allow you to live more in the now with your loved ones.
- Prop your phone camera up and use the time lapse feature to record a family meal or a homework session. Looking at it later will help you appreciate the beautiful chaos of raising children.
- Watch them closely when their minds are fully engaged in something they love.
- Organise some (super simple) one-on-one dates with your children. If you need structure for this (and simplicity!), try letting your child stay up 15 minutes late-to do something just with you-on the date of her birthday every month. For example, a child born on April 16th would have one-on-one time every 16th of the month.
- Do something for you. Often. “You can’t pour from an empty cup.”
- Snuggle up with them for movie time.
We would love to know, what are your favourite parenting moments?
