Mums have fun too
When the rest of the family relaxes at the weekend, it’s easy to forget about ourselves. Here’s a few tips to make sure you don’t miss out on the fun!
How often have you planned a great diversion for the whole family only for you to end up missing out yourself because the phone rings, lunch still needs clearing away or tea needs making?
Here are a few ways to keep the fun spontaneous and to make sure you don’t forget what your kids probably already know – that a good time is better with mum along for the ride.
The joy of sharing – the ground rules
• Fun isn’t just something you organise for other people. Whether it’s playing a game together or just stopping to have a chat if you’ve got guests, you have to take part too. It’s easy to say you’ll join the rest of the family once the washing is done, but the fact is that unlike a pile of dishes or a basket of laundry, your family all sitting in the same place at the same time is a much more rare occurrence. The dishes will wait patiently for a couple of hours!
• Be spontaneous. Whilst you might be thinking about what you want to do with your quality time, kids of all ages don’t respond well to timetabled jollity. Plan ahead if you want but try to make the thought of doing something together seem natural and unforced to them.
• Don’t try too hard. You’re not being paid to be an entertainment officer at Butlins! If you all enjoy trying new things then great, be adventurous. If dad or the kids don’t like surprises, pick a safe bet idea you know you’re all going to enjoy even if it’s something you’ve done ten times before.
• The kids will surprise you. Especially younger children (under 8s) respond to moments when you all break out of your routines, and you’ll find that next Saturday morning they’ll ask if you can do it all again!