Confessions of a Working Mom: Parent Smarter, not Harder

Working Moms are the community's everyday hero.  She wakes up early, goes to bed late, balances toddlers and half-chewed cheerios on one knee, in heels and a skirt and grocery shops on her lunch break.  It's no surprise that things can be...well....a little tense.  One working Mom found her saving grace with this funny looking thing:

WHAT???  That's right.  This homemade contraption has made the "getting home" transition much smoother and happier at "Working Mom's" house.

"When I first get home from work is always  the most difficult time of day," Working Mom said.  "The kids want my attention, I'm still trying to unwind from work, and I'm already behind with dinner and housework as soon as I walk in the door.  Lots of whining, tears and frustration for all."

But then this Mom decided to parent "smarter, not harder".  She did some real problem solving to see what could be built into her routine that would help make this getting home transition easier for her, her three year- old and her two year-old.

"What they needed was attention...what I needed was time.  So I made this little device.  I give them 10 minutes first thing, and it ends up saving me a lot of time overall."

What you're looking at is nothing but a cardboard tube, Popsicle sticks, and stickers.  Each Popsicle stick has a 10 minute activity written on it.  Examples include: Read a Story, Play Hide-And-Seek, Play Go-Fish, Color, Do a Puzzle and Play Toss the Ball in the Basket.  Each activity is simple, will take no more than 10 minutes, and can be done in work clothes.

The idea is that the first thing Working Mom does when she gets home (yes, even before she changes), is to pull out this baby.  A child pulls out one stick, and you do that activity.  BAM!  Child's needs are met and Mom is granted a little more leeway at the end of the activity when she needs to change her clothes and start dinner, etc.

"I really wanted to make it look unusual," Working Mom said.  "That way it's kind of a fun thing they look forward to because it looks different from  the things they see regularly." 

"Another thing to keep in mind," she said, "is to ONLY pull this out when you get home from work.  Never any other time.  Also, explain ahead of time that you are only doing ONE per day and each child will get his or her turn to choose a stick (or whatever you use) tomorrow, or the next day, etc."

Kudos to working moms!  And remember: BE CREATIVE!  Parent smarter, not harder!