How do parents manage their time between work and home?

Answer 1

With a magic wand and a heavy conscience. :)

But seriously, I find that I have to practice telling work NO, and telling my kid YES to time from me. I have to be uber-flexible with the finer details of life - like whether my hair gets done, how often vacuuming happens, how many good-mommy points I lose for giving up some nights and bringing home take-out for dinner, how long mail sits before getting read, how often the car gets washed....

My house isn't picture perfect, my car looks even worse, and sometimes I quite frankly go to work UGLY. But it's all worth it for that fifteen minutes before bedtime to hang out, read Jeanie B. Jones stories, scoop about all the drama on the playground that day, and snuggle.

You know what I mean?

Answer 2

Good question! I work full time, go to school full time and have two teenage daughters who are very involved in various activities and we have a dog. Managing time is crucial to my household. I have a 1/2hr unwind time when I get home from work, then cook dinner, eat, play games with my daughters, watch a show or do homework for about 2hrs. Then, we take the dog for a walk. After that, it's shower and bed. I try not to worry about the housework or laundry until the weekend other than tidying up a bit. Saturday I spend part of my day doing homework then Saturday night we do something together. On Sunday I do laundry, grocery shop, pay bills and usually order dinner in. The girls help with laundry, go grocery shopping then have Sunday afternoon to do whatever they want. You have to get a schedule together that suites you. Don't sweat the small stuff and always put family first. If I have a choice between sitting with my daughters and doing our nails or loading the dishwasher, the dishes can wait! Organization is the key, everything else will fall in to place. Good luck!

Answer 3

Well I am a single parent with 2 children and I still can't figure out how I do it. I just try to spend quality time with the children and only work jobs that are m-f while they are in school and maybe for a little after. It gives me my weekends to catch up with everything I didn't get done with when I get off work.

Answer 4

Hi,
Just by doing their best!

It helps if your husband is 'hands on' as a parent, and is not leaving it all to you.

For me, life seems busier now that my children are in primary school than when they were smaller (at least they had sleeps etc then!). Now, they have homework and after school activities, and the little mouse in the wheel (usually Mum), just runs faster & faster. I try to cook meals ahead of time (freezing meatloaf/casseroles/bolognaise sauces etc), so that I have something to pull out of a hat, when I need to.

Planning ahead helps, but as a self-employed mother, I do the jobs I absolutely need to (clean clothes, cooked meals, mentor, taxi driver,nurse etc), and try not to sweat the small stuff - like the vacuuming!

Try to have some time out for yourself (ves) every so often, so you can remember why you started all of this in the first place!

Answer 5

It's difficult, especially being a single parent. More difficult when that single parent works two jobs.

Answer 6

Well.. I start by getting up in the morning.. the nanny comes and I leave. She gets my oldest ready for school and drops him off. Then my husband comes home and sleeps (he works third shift). Then the nanny picks my son back up from school (she watches my 1yr old during the day) and then I get home (the nanny leaves). I wake up my husband and we eat dinner- he goes back to sleep. I get the kids ready for bed, get in bed and my husband gets up for work. If I'm lucky- we have sex.

Answer 7

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Answer 8

Never cleaning!