With babies and a growing to-do list, weekends now are pretty different to your pre-parent days. Time to take the AMs in your stride. Yep – it is possible
That Saturday feeling takes on a whole new meaning when you have a child (long lie-in? What’s that?).
OK, things are more hectic now, but keeping your focus and slowing things down a bit can help get you all on a much happier and chilled Saturday track.
Set wake-up boundaries
You’ve been up at 6am all week and it’d be nice to have an extra hour in bed. Enter your walking talking(ish) toddler alarm clock. Being woken up doesn’t necessarily mean you have to get up and dressed straight away, so don’t stress.
‘You can snooze, bundle up in bed or lounge around,’ says Amanda Alexander, life coach and founder of Coaching Mums.
‘Do let your child know there are limits, though, so if he wakes up before mum and dad, encourage him to play or read on his own for a bit – boundaries and independence are good things to teach him.’
Embrace breakfast time
Jam all over the table, toast burning and actual crying over spilt milk? Avoid it by making breakfast special, and seeing it as an actual event in your weekend instead of something to get out the way.
‘Dedicate some time to it and let your toddler get involved in mixing the pancake batter or choosing the fruit – you’ll both enjoy it and relax more,’ says Amanda.
Beat relationship niggles
There’s something about a Saturday when you and your partner aren’t passing ships for the first morning all week… He’s getting in the way while you make coffee; you roll your eyes at his radio station choice – and you just wind each other up.
‘Acknowledge that Saturday is your couple boiling point, so you can joke about it if little tensions crop up,’ says Amanda. ‘Then get out of the weekend routine that causes them – go out for breakfast or take a family walk to diffuse things.’
Keep your perspective
You want to get to the supermarket but your toddler’s taking ages to put on his shoes. Sure, it’s frustrating, but he’s trying to work out how to do things for himself, so just give him a moment.
‘Take a step back and actually ask yourself, will being a little late to wherever you’re going matter? Will this still annoy you in an hour’s time?’ says Amanda. Probably not.
What’s the best part of your family weekend? Let us know on the comments board below.