I know when I get home from work I am tired! Sometimes on those days I have to force myself to focus on my daughter. She doesn’t know or understand that it took twice as long to get to work in the morning because traffic was so bad. It’s not her fault that continued budget cuts to higher education in the state of Louisiana is forcing hard times at work.
I only have a couple hours with her on days that I work – 3.5 hours to be exact and in that time I have to make dinner and give S a bath. Time flies by, so taking advantage of the little bit that I have with her before she grows up is so important.
Our Evenings
S is now 5 years old. When we get home, I start making dinner and I always ask S to help sometimes she doesn’t want to, but other times she will. She may only last 5-10 minutes but at least in the amount of time she is learning about cooking, food preparation, math and we are doing something together. If S does not help me with dinner, she is usually at the dining room table playing, painting or drawing. The whole time I am making dinner we are discussing what she did during the day, upcoming events (what we are doing on the weekend, travel, etc.), or anything else she may be into at the moment.
After dinner, we try to incorporate something family friendly like a game, putting together a puzzle, playing chase, going for a walk, etc. Before we know it it’s usually about time for a bath and snuggles while we read a story.
I always ask S what her favorite part of the day was. We will talk about it and discuss why. No matter what every night I tell my daughter that I love her. Sometimes we have a I love you more than…. contest back and forth. I want her to hear, feel and know that she is so important to me.
Beyond Home
If you are traveling as a family, you can still have the same night time conversations. When we travel to Disney World on the bus back to the hotel from the park at night I always ask S what her favorite part of the day was, what her least favorite was and then we discuss. Not only does it let me know her likes and dislikes and how to adjust our days, but it also passes time on the bus ride back to the hotel.
Two years ago when we were at Disney World, I had just gotten off the bus at our resort in the evening and I hear ma’am. I turned around expecting that I had dropped something but an elderly man said I just want to tell you that you have the best behaved child I’ve seen all week at the parks. That is one of the nicest things a stranger could say! I contribute his opinion to what he observed which was the two of us interacting and me keeping S engaged during the ride. She didn’t have time to be antsy, impatient, or upset because she had my attention and we had a dialogue going.
Other Thoughts
Does each evening the follow this pattern in our house? For the most part yes, but not always. We have evenings where the tv gets turned on for one show. But bath, story time with snuggles, and I love yous are always a part of our routine no matter where we are.
How do you spend your evenings with your child/children?
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Some days I feel our 10 year old drifting away from me so I am always thinking of ways to involve him in anything I do. Thanks so much for the tip to get him in the kitchen with me while I make dinner!
S is growing up so fast and I worry about her drifting away! I hope your son gets in the kitchen with you even if it’s just for a little bit each night 🙂
I still read aloud to my kids each night, even though the older two are now in middle school. I usually pick books that they won’t read themselves but that I KNOW they would enjoy! It’s our time together doing something that all of us enjoy.
That’s awesome Amy! I hope I am still reading to S when she’s in middle school!
Sometimes the time simply runs away and once Anna is in bed I realize that there are certain things we haven’t talked about. I need to remember to take time out of our busy days and connect with her
I know what you mean Nicole!
I love your ideas! It can be stressful coming home after a full day of work, all while trying to not communicate that stress to your children and whip the entire household into a frenzy!
Thank you Michelle! Dedicated time helps!
She is growing up with security and love which are the best qualities you can give #MagicMoments
Thank you Fiona!
These are all important ways to connect with your child at the end of the day. They grow up so fast. I always read my kids a bedtime story and then they said they’re prayers while I tucked them in. Now that they are grown we laugh at how long some of those prayers were. My son would pray for everyone he knew and always ended with “bless the homeless.” You are making precious memories and S will remember them always. Great read!
Thank you so much Alli! My daughter tries to postpone going to sleep by asking for water, reading a long book, and talking (sometimes I can’t get her to stop).
It’s wonderful that you keep up such a great evening routine. There is nothing better we can give our children than our time and attention and the feeling that they are loved.
We always read a book and sing lullabies when Little F drinks his evening bottle. It’s a lovely part of the day, we all look forward to.
#magicmoments
That is a great evening routine! Your son will treasure those moments as he grows!
I have a 5 year old and an 11 month old at home, plus I work full time out of the house. Now that the baby (not so much anymore) is very mobile, and trying to stand up (and grabbing anything off the table she can find), it is getting harder to get the time with my oldest that I love so much. We still make sure, no matter what, to get story time in with all three of us each night. We also sing the same three bed-time songs, incorporating both my girls names, so that it is special for both of them. Also, on the long drive home from daycare (30-45 minutes – we love our daycare provider but are looking at something closer when she starts school in the fall), I try to make up care games with my oldest. We try to find colors, numbers, and other things on the highway and back roads. Also, if the baby gets to sleep early enough, I try and snuggle with the big girl as long as she wants to, this way she can get a little extra mommy time in. It’s hard day in and day out, but we really need to find little ways to connect with the kids each night. It doesn’t have to be anything big, it just has to get done someway, somehow!
Great ideas! I especially love how you pass the time on the way home plus incorporating learning! Sounds like you are doing a wonderful job showing your oldest how much you love her.
This is a great post! I know I’m always trying to find ways to spend one-on-one time with all my peanuts! Thanks so much! I found you on PureBlogLoveLink Party.
Thank you Erica!
This is fabulous- my son has just started school and I find he shuts down when we get home. It is hard to get anything out of him and I don’t want to use the typical “how was your day” question. Love the idea of getting him to help me with dinner prep, as that way he might open up and it encourages him to eat his dinner too!
Thanks Lauren! I hope getting him into the kitchen helps!
Great ideas! Some of my favorite memories are cooking with my momma in the kitchen at the end of the day! Thanks so much for joining us over at the #HomeMattersParty – be sure to send your blogging friends our way! And we hope to see YOU again next week!
Thank you Kristen!
Wow great inspiration. My little one is only 16 months old. Hubby and I trade off who is cooking so we both can have time for learning cuddling and wrestling sessions. These little moments will be what they remember 🙂
That’s great advice Jessica! It’s perfect that you both get to spend time with your little one!
Great post! I’m featuring it this week of Happy and Blessed Home’s Family Fun Friday. 🙂 Thanks for sharing!!
Thank you so much Christen!