I don’t think anyone can argue that motherhood isn’t busy. We mommas take care of our kiddos all day long in some form or fashion. Despite being a stay-at-home homeschooling mom, I struggle with finding special one-on-one time with each of my kids.
One-on-one time is incredibly important for you and your child — my kids being no exception. They LOVE their one-on-one time with me. Whenever I have that special time with them, my kiddo’s face lights up and they become a new child. Suddenly, the whining is gone. The crying and disobedience and bad attitudes disappear. They know that one-on-one time is a very special treat, and they treat it as such.
In my ideal world, I’d spend several hours with each child for a monthly one-on-one date. But we all know that ideals rarely happen. So I’ve tried to find some creative (and easy!) ways to incorporate that special alone time with each of my kiddos.
Take a kid with you while running errands.
When running errands on the weekend, I tell my husband that I’m going out and take a kid with me. He knows that this is my attempt at incorporating some special one-on-one time with that child. And even though the kiddo is tagging along with me while I do responsible adult things, I always make sure to spend our car ride talking to my kiddo or listening to music that they requested. I also try to incorporate a fun little surprise for them, like a stop on the donut shop or a special treat at the grocery store.
Let your child workout with you.
I work out in the mornings before the rest of my family is awake. This is my time to do something I love while getting ready for the busy day I know is going to happen. However, every once in awhile I’m interrupted in the middle of planking by a sweet, sleepy voice. My kiddos wants to know if they can work out with me (aka spend special time with me). Sometimes I say no because I really need that alone time to prepare myself for the day. But I usually say yes. And even though we don’t really talk while working out, I’m sending positive messages to my child about the importance of taking care of myself through exercise and prioritizing my time.
Celebrate their monthly birthday.
Most new moms take a monthly photo of their baby their first year of life. I did that, too…in fact, I still do it! My oldest is seven-years-old, and I’m still going strong on taking monthly pictures of my three kids. I didn’t plan to keep this tradition going, but I love seeing how each of my kids has grown over the years. And I also love seeing their personality come out in their photos. Whenever I take their monthly photo, I make sure I spend a little one-on-one time with the birthday kid. I ask questions and then listen to their answers as I snap pictures of them. It’s a special, sweet time that I know I’ll have every month…even if it’s only for five-10 minutes.
Do a night date!
Another way I spend some special one-on-one time with each of my kids is to let them stay up an hour later once a month on their monthly birthday. My kids have come to love this special time with their parents (so technically it’s one-on-two time), and they spend all day thinking about what they’re going to do during their hour of extra time. I love this tradition because it’s easy to keep this set time every month since I do it on their monthly birthday.
No matter how you plan one-on-one time with your sweet kiddo, the important thing is to do it! It’s so special for both you and your child. It doesn’t have to be an elaborate, planned out day. It can be a simple walk around the block or an extra hour to stay up late. Whatever you chose to do, the bonding that will come from it is 100% worth it—I promise!
