{"id":1255,"date":"2021-06-07T17:08:00","date_gmt":"2021-06-07T16:08:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/almosttheweekend.com\/?p=1255"},"modified":"2023-08-30T21:24:57","modified_gmt":"2023-08-30T20:24:57","slug":"how-to-relax-at-the-weekend-when-you-have-kids","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/almosttheweekend.com\/how-to-relax-at-the-weekend-when-you-have-kids\/","title":{"rendered":"How To Relax at the Weekend When You Have Kids"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

Relaxing at the Weekend With Kids In the house<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

Ah, the weekend\u2019s here. Time to relax and kick back. Just kidding, you\u2019re a parent. But it\u2019s still possible to enjoy some downtime, even when the house is full of small people who want to get up at dawn and definitely do not want to relax.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Remember when weekends used to consist of nights out, sleeping late, shopping trips that were actually enjoyable, leisurely brunches, or even taking a hot bath without people arriving to use the toilet right next to your head? Nope, me neither.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Weekends as a parent of young children are not what they once were. Gone is the space to binge-watch your latest trash TV obsession, enjoy a time-consuming hobby, or recover from a hangover in peace. Instead, your weekends become primarily about entertaining those small children. And it doesn\u2019t matter how tired you are from the week from hell, your kids are going to be raring to go. You might want to relax at the weekend, but I guarantee your kids will have another idea.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

But – Don\u2019t Give Up!<\/strong> Laid-back weekend life isn\u2019t over. You\u2019re not resigned to a decade of 7-days-a-week exhaustion (even though that\u2019s how it might feel right now). You just need to rebalance a few things, and get better about how you manage your family weekends. Here are some easy ways to find the time and space you deserve<\/strong> to relax at the weekend when you have kids.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

How To Enjoy Weekends When You\u2019re a Parent Of Small Children<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n

Having a relaxing weekend with small kids around is not impossible. Here are a few ideas to help.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

First, Think About Your Weekend Mindset<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\n

Weekends have changed since having kids, that\u2019s a given. So, try shifting the way you view weekends now too. It helps to accept that the automatic downtime you used to have is not going to happen on its own any more – BUT it can still happen if you make it<\/strong>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

If you only think of the weekends as a slog of playdates (for younger kids), being a taxi service (for older kids), and wading through chores, then that\u2019s how your weekend\u2019s going to play out. That\u2019s how it\u2019s going to FEEL \u2013 like a slog with nothing else in it to enjoy. But remember you deserve time to relax and recharge, so start prioritising your relaxation time as a non-negotiable part of your weekend<\/strong>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

If you\u2019re regularly counting down the hours until Monday morning when you can escape back to work to relax, then it\u2019s time to take action. Making subtle changes and planning ahead to make weekends more balanced and enjoyable takes practice, but can totally be done. (Ok, maybe not every weekend, because life happens \u2013 but it can be done a lot of the time.)<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Remember – there won\u2019t be a prizegiving ceremony on Sunday night<\/a><\/strong> for who had the most miserable weekend, so don\u2019t feel guilty about making some changes so you can enjoy your time off more.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"Relaxing<\/figure>\n\n\n\n

Let Go of High Expectations <\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\n

If you constantly feel like the weekend is wasted \/ stressful \/ unsatisfactory, ask yourself if you\u2019re putting too much pressure on. Are you expecting too much of yourself and of your time off? If you\u2019re aiming high in terms of how much you can get done or how much you want to relax, you\u2019ll usually end up disappointed.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Try re-assessing your expectations of the weekend, and what\u2019s realistic with a young family in tow. If you\u2019ve got small children, it\u2019s impractical to believe you can manage to paint the house, host a get-together, run the week\u2019s errands, and go on a hike this weekend. Pick a couple of those things instead, and actually do them.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Be kinder to yourself. You don\u2019t need to achieve everything this weekend<\/strong>. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

If you have a list of projects you want to get done, sit down and plan out how you can realistically get through them over the next few weekends, while still factoring in some time to relax \/ go to the park \/ bake brownies \/ go cycling \/ take a nap \/ go out for ice cream. Commit to some things that you need<\/strong> to do, and some things you want<\/strong> to do.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Lighten Up \u2013 For Your Own Sake As Much As The Kids<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\n

The weekend is your downtime. And while we all know that kids tend to thrive on routine, don\u2019t be afraid to let things slide a bit over the weekend. Let a loosening of the rules become the weekend routine. Why? Because relaxing the rules means more fun for the kids and less stress for you.<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

You don\u2019t need to let chaos take over. But agreeing to a PJ day, a carpet picnic breakfast, a movie dinner, a wear-whatever-you-like day, or anything else you can think of provides a memorable experience for the kids while actually taking the pressure off you.<\/p>\n\n\n

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\"Kids<\/figure><\/div>\n\n\n

Divide Up Your Weekend Time<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\n

Nobody wants to schedule and organise every minute of their weekend, but having a rough plan can really help give you the time to prioritise the things you want to do<\/strong>. If you don\u2019t plan for it, it\u2019s less likely to happen.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

It also really helps if you can divide your time up into what parts of the weekend will be family time, time for you and your partner, and some alone time to really switch off. Planning ahead isn\u2019t exactly free-spirited and spontaneous, but it\u2019s probably your best chance of actually getting what you want out of the weekend.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Don\u2019t Schedule Kids\u2019 Activities for the Entire Weekend<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\n

Kids tend to have a lot of activities at the weekend. Sports, playdates, birthday parties etc are all important parts of your kids\u2019 lives but they all stack up, and if you\u2019re not careful they can easily end up taking over the whole weekend, leaving you worn out (and possibly a bit resentful).<\/p>\n\n\n\n

So do what you can to keep commitments scheduled to one day if at all possible<\/strong>. Obviously this isn\u2019t always doable, but taking whatever steps you can to confine them to one day will give you a free schedule on the other day to fit in time for everyone to relax and recharge. Or try to fit them in on mornings only, leaving the afternoons free for some family time or alone time.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Remember it\u2019s also totally fine to say no to extra commitments<\/strong>. If your weekend is already looking full, don\u2019t feel guilty about turning down any extra ones. The more things you sign up to, the less chance you\u2019re going to have to relax.<\/p>\n\n\n