quick clicks

preschoolers today articles

preschoolers today q&a

children today articles

children today q&a

community & groups

research baby names

prepare a birth plan

content channels

ip channel rss feeds

read birth stories

read parenting stories

recommended books

e-newsletters

safety recalls

ip diaries

ip store

mom of the month

dad of the month

editor's letter

letters to the editor

Single Moms Balancing Work and Play at Home

The Art of Five-Minute Parenting

By Katerie Prior

Balancing work and play isn't hard if you follow a few guidelines. Whenever possible, try to separate work from play. This may mean working, like Watson, while your child is in school, or asleep at night or naptime. This may be inconvenient to arrange, but it helps your child in the long run.

Separating work from play may not always be possible. If that's the case, anticipate playtime in your schedule. In business, managers create timelines knowing they need to add a percentage of time for reporting on the project's progress. The same rule applies to playtime. If a project takes four hours to finish, add more time to your schedule so you can play with your kids.

If a deadline looms and you can't anticipate that time, try to make work your play. With school-age children, Honig recommends bringing their homework near your workspace so you can work side-by-side. With younger children, find small tasks that they an do. When Watson brought her son into the office one day, he was anxious and fidgety until he told her he wanted to work, too. "He asked if he could help me," she explains. "I had him stuff envelopes and the rest of my work went like a breeze."

Want to see more?

• Working Single: How These Moms Cope With Minimal Help

Post As:
Enter your comment below:
Title
Comment Text
CAPTCHA
Please note that any comments submitted become the property of Disney Family / iParenting and can be edited and posted at our discrection.