Being there for your kids - Baby Balance ---Juggling Home, Work, and Kids

Episode Date: March 18, 2023

Very few families get by on one income these days. It takes two incomes to make expenses in most homes. That means someone, even both of you, will be juggling home, work, and kids. Mastering the baby balance takes some effort. Check out this podcast to find some ways to keep things in balance.

I'm Dr. John Robinson, and this is Teachable Moments. I have a piece for you today from guest columnist Cheryl Conklin. You can find her at Cheryl at Wellnesscentral.info. Her article is entitled Baby Balance, Juggling Home, Working, and Kids. Remote working can be a blessing. Remote working with kids, not so much. If you're trying to balance a professional life with a newborn baby or toddler, you'll need to get resourceful.

Here are a few of our best strategies to help. First, set realistic goals. When you're dividing time between work and a baby. Fifth, when in doubt, new, okay. Fifth, when in doubt. Time, try to set more realistic targets so as not to invite feelings of disappointment and frustration.

This could mean segmenting larger projects into smaller, more manageable tasks and setting new attainable standards of quality. With the right compartmentalization, you may even find you're achieving more in the aggregate. Second, be comfortable. Considering the range and variety of tasks you're spreading yourself over throughout a day, it pays to pick clothes in the morning that you know will be comfortable. For new moms, this could mean opting for a dress with soft, stretchable fabric and a nursing panel. This is useful for nursing and pumping away from home. Hoodies and track suits also make for warm, flexible choices, and you won't worry about getting them messy. If you have meetings and need to jump on a video call, the work mold has proven

effective ever since the beginning of the pandemic. Third, let's talk about toy management. One of your best assets when it comes to juggling, working, and parenting are the toys your child can play with independently. It's important, therefore, to think strategically about when you're providing access and to which items. Having everything available all at once could quickly prompt distraction and stimulus overload, leading to trouble. Instead, try to stagger access throughout the week with toys on a constant rotation. How about screen time? On that note, we do have screens. Almost all parents in the 21st century utilize them at some point, but too many cartoons can create unhealthy dependency or problems of a different nature.

Instead, save this pastime for when it's absolutely essential that your child stay occupied, during work meetings, for example. With tactical usage, you can avoid creating an addiction and still reap the benefits of their being otherwise absorbed during critical work times. Fifth, when in doubt, bring in the cavalry. If you have friends, family, or significant others who can and want to help out, don't be shy about asking them. As they say, it does take a village to raise a child.

When you're working from home, sometimes that village becomes a whole country. When someone says, if there's anything I can do, just let me know. Don't be shy about bringing in support. Extra hands can be crucial if you want to keep your child stimulated without dropping work performance. If you don't have anyone available in your immediate social circle, it can sometimes be worth hiring extra hands, such as cleaners, to carry out the menial tasks and lighten the load while you take care of business. Finally, prioritize.

Ultimately, your kids are your priority. If you're overloaded with work, you may need to plan in advance when and how you'll spend time with the children. Use your active listening skills to understand their feelings and then problem-solve with them to come up with doable options. This could mean reading bedtime stories, including them in chores, planning days out, or simply joining them for playtime. Priorizing and a spot of organizing are often the solution for a better work-life balance. Parenting is full-time, whether you go out to work, but especially when you're trying to earn a living at home simultaneously. If you want to manage both and stay sane in the process, you'll need to think tactically about time and plan your routine well in advance.

If this article stirs questions of your own, contact me through my website at www. for my kids.com or email me at John Robinson 0.0 at Outlook.com. I'm Dr. Jonathan C. Robinson, licensed clinical psychologist, and Christian author of Teachable Moments, Building Blocks of Christian Parenting. And this has been Teachable Moments. Teachable Moments, Building Blocks of Christian Parenting, is available online at AmazonBooks.com and in local and national bookstores. More on Dr. Robinson at TMC-P-I-N-C.com.