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For many parents, having a social life is often relegated to slivers of free time found after working all day, helping with homework, cheering at soccer practice and bagging lunches.
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How To get Your Social Life Back www.pouted.com
Introduction • For many parents, having a social life is often relegated to slivers of free time found after working all day, helping with homework, cheering at soccer practice and bagging lunches. • While the proverbial "me time" can seem elusive when your priority is raising healthy and happy children, experts say that making time for yourself is as essential to your children as it is to you and your spouse. www.pouted.com
Introduction • Instead of feeling guilty about taking personal time, think about what having an active social life can teach your children, says author and relationship expert Ellie Slott Fisher. • “If you’re always at home every Saturday night, as your children get older they can start to feel responsible for your social life,” Fisher said. “Having a social life gives your children permission to have one too, and it helps them develop into completely secure adults.” www.pouted.com
Creating Me Time • Finding room in your daybook for you doesn’t have to be a juggling act if parents prioritize it and rethink their perception of "parent-time" versus "child-time," says Mia Redrick, a strategy coach for busy mothers and the author of “Time for Mom-Me: 365 Daily Strategies for a Mother's Self-Care.” • Parents often miss out on unexpected opportunities for personal time while running errands or shuttling kids around, Redrick says. That’s why she recommends that along with packing backpacks or snacks for your kids, parents should prepare a tool kit for themselves that can include items like a great book, a journal, music or even a jump rope. www.pouted.com
Making Room For Couple Time • One way to stick to date night is to buy tickets to a movie or show in advance, so that your commitment becomes a monetary one as well as a personal one, she says. Parents could even pre-pay a regular babysitter to come every other Friday night, for example, even if they have yet to make plans. Having that regular appointment means that plans have to be made www.pouted.com
Scheduling Time For Friends • Spending time with friends and community members can also be a great way to reinvigorate your soul, experts say. With enough pre-planning, anyone can create a regular group event or group outing that accommodates many busy schedules, says Debbie Lillard, a professional organizer and author of “A Mom’s Guide to Home Organization: Simple Solutions to Control Clutter, Schedules and Stress.” www.pouted.com