I suspect most parents feel guilty about not spending enough time with their kids. There are just so many other demands like household chores.
Time is a precious commodity, but it may be possible to free up some of it by looking closely at your schedule. Here are a few suggestions for how you can improve the balance between household chores and spending time with your kids.
Choose the Right Cleaning Supplies
Purchasing the right cleaning supplies can mean you waste less time on household chores.
For example, things like a carpet cleaner can be an essential cleaning tool. It is much easier to use something designed for the task than trying to use something that falls short.
It doesn’t cost a lot of money to have a well-stocked cabinet of cleaning supplies and gadgets, and it can be worth it if it saves you time.
We personally could not live without our robot vacuums.
It is amazing how quickly the kids learn the operation of the DVD, yet are unable to understand the vacuum cleaner.
Etienne Marchal
Encourage Your Children to Help You with Household Chores
You can spend time with your kids and do household chores at the same time by allowing them to join in.
Even young children can participate if you turn it into a bit of a game. The secret to making this work is to choose the right tasks for your child – otherwise, you could end up making more work for yourself.
It can also be a good idea to give children some regular household chores (i.e. cleaning their room) because it can be beneficial for their development. It will provide them with some responsibility and prepare them for when daddy and mommy aren’t there picking up after them.
The cruel irony of housework: people only notice when you don’t do it.
Danielle Raine
Create a Schedule for Household Chores
The advantage of a schedule is that it allows you to stay on top of what needs to be done. It makes it possible for you to think more carefully about when you do these tasks, so you are more in control of your time.
Maybe do certain chores on certain days. Or, when you are waiting for something to cook, do some speed cleaning. Doing a little bit here and there really does add up.
Don’t cook. Don’t clean. No man will ever make love to a woman because she waxed the linoleum – “My God, the floor’s immaculate. Lie down, you hot bitch.”
Joan Rivers
Understand That Quality is Just as Important Quantity
The quality of the time you spend with your kids is just as important as the quantity of time. There are only so many hours in the day, and all you can do is your best.
It is always nice to spend more time with your kids, but it is better to make the most of the time you have.
Cleaning your house while your kids are still growing is like shoveling the walk before it stops snowing. —Phyllis Diller
I can use a robot vacuum! You give some excellent suggestions here! Thanks for sharing!
We are a big fan of the Neato robots!
Having my daughter help has been key to getting things done. She loves sorting socks and putting her clothes away. Sweeping is another favorite as is cleaning mirrors. Sure, sometimes I have to follow up with a couple of details she missed, but her work helps a lot. It also has helped her learn why I can’t play while I’m cleaning. It’s like she understands that things have to be done to run a household.
How old is your daughter? Younger children are often very helpful. I wish I could get my teen to do things without complaint lol.
Great article! There’s a lot of useful tips in it but I love the little bits of comedy too. It’s funny, I always thought my daughter would be the one who’d end up cleaning with me but it turns out it’s my sons who love helping me clean. It is a great way to spend time together and get some cleaning done at the same time!
At least some of your kids want to help you clean. My kids not so much lol.
I always have mom guilt about this. Every Saturday it’s clean day and my little ones are 1,3&5. It’s tough getting them to want to clean with me so I just do what I can and then afterwards take them out and play.
At that age, they can’t really help effectively but it will get them in the right mindset when they are older.
This is something thats so hard to do. Thanks for the really great tips!
Yes, balancing life is hard in general but most of us do just fine at it
I always try to involve my kids with the household chores. That way we do it together and make it fun, and they learn important life skills as well.
Doing chores is well a chore but doing it together does make it more manageable
we love doing chores together- we put on dance music and make it fun!
I agree that music makes chores so much more fun you and the kids
I still have trouble finding time to get everything done. Having a fatigue disability doesn’t help.
There is never enough time in the day. It’s all about prioritizing your time.