Please register to participate in our discussions with 2 million other members - it's free and quick! Some forums can only be seen by registered members. After you create your account, you'll be able to customize options and access all our 15,000 new posts/day with fewer ads.
When do you get time for yourself? Once they graduate high school and go to college. Esp if you have more than one.
Naturally when they're babies they consume your time. Then you get a bit of a break for a couple years though if they are active at all, you might be chasing them before they get into things.
Then about 4 or 5 they get into sports. Soccer practice, soccer games, Little League Practice, Little League Games, coach pitch, minor league, major league. At the younger ages, practice is somewhat limited, but as they get older, practice grows in length and number of nights. Little League between games and practice is sometimes seven days a week. Then they decide to play travel soccer. More practice, weekend out of town games, indoor tournaments in the winter, outdoor in spring/fall. Cub Scouts, Boy Scouts, Girl Scouts. School sports. Band (glad my kids didn't do band, that's a real time consumer). And all these groups need fund raisers and parent volunteers. If you have more than one kid, it's taxi time to different schools, to different practices, to different games.
Among all that is homework. Lots and lots of homework. Esp when they are little you will be helping them. Even if they are the studious type they will still need help and guidance the younger ages. Then the oldest gets a drivers license and you can't wait to buy them a car because that's one more chauffer and one less that needs to be chauffeured around.
You will fuss and complain about all the time spent in bleachers and driving. Then they go to college and you have me time again. And deeply miss that time spent in the bleachers and wish you could do it over again.
How about those of us with juvenile, self-centered boyfriends?
Okay, basically same thing.
No. In the past 7 years I've had maybe 2 naps. I hate this. At least with kids you can sleep when they sleep.
I took daily leisurely walks with my babies and toddlers; they love to go at that age. They also liked to walk to the park, swing (etc) for a while, then walk home.
It ebbs and flows. A couple years ago when my kids were still going to bed at 8:00 p.m. I would enjoy quiet time the entire evening after they went to bed. But now that they are older, with 9:30 p.m. and 10 p.m. bedtimes, I can't even do that.
I listen to audiobooks in my car when commute to/from work, and occasionally I'll take a pre-planned day off from work so that I can have a true "me" day while no one is home. That's about it. But I'm fine with that.
Actual "me time" is not really a problem and can be scheduled.
The relentless part about parenting is that the times when your thoughts are completely your own are rare. You always have to consider others and plan ahead for the family when you have kids.
I never truly understood this factor until one weekend when my husband took all three of our sons, who were in upper elementary and middle school by then, on an out-of-town trip. I had an entire weekend ALL to myself, and the freedom of NOT having to think ahead to plan a meal, wonder about driving someone somewhere or ask myself about the status of the laundry was ... exhilarating!
I could do what I wanted when I wanted, and I could focus on one thing at a time. I didn't have to stop something in order to start dinner or pick someone up, etc.
Even when you share parenting and household duties with your spouse and kids, the constant drain on that mental energy is what saps you. I still wouldn't change it though lol.
i think someone hit the nail where they said it depends on how much priority you place on it.
It also depends on how much family you have to help. Babysitters are $10-$12 an hour now.
It depends on what time your kids get up. Some kids get up at 6 am every. single. day. One of my friends is/has also been an early riser. Her mom finally left a bowl of dry cereal in the fridge on the bottom shelf with a small cup of milk so she could make herself breakfast, beccause she got up at 5 am when she was 3 - 6 yrs old.
It depends on what time they go to bed.
Depends on a lot of stuff. It also depends on whether you really like spending time with your kids. Some people don't. Some people do.
Right now, with kids ages 6, 10, and 13, quite a bit. I only work part-time, they're in school full-time, and they're relatively independent when they are here.
I don't get to sleep in too often, but I have free time during the day if I want it, or after 10 p.m.
How often do you get a break from the kids where you get to just rest (i.e. watch TV, sleep in till 8 or 9 A.M., read a fun book, go for leisurely walk, go on date night, go on a trip without kids, collect your thoughts/day dream, etc.)
Once our oldest got a drivers license we got plenty of me time, because then she got to shuttle the other daughter to her activities.
Other than that, we pretty much slept in whenever we wanted, the kids have been getting themselves up and out the door to school since they were little.
Please register to post and access all features of our very popular forum. It is free and quick. Over $68,000 in prizes has already been given out to active posters on our forum. Additional giveaways are planned.
Detailed information about all U.S. cities, counties, and zip codes on our site: City-data.com.
Please register to participate in our discussions with 2 million other members - it's free and quick! Some forums can only be seen by registered members. After you create your account, you'll be able to customize options and access all our 15,000 new posts/day with fewer ads.
