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Jun 2010

“Mommy Time”

June 28, 2010 By 8 Comments
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I am a big believer in making it a priority to have one-on-one time with each individual child.  Some of my favorite childhood memories are when I had my Mom or Dad all to myself.

That’s easier said than done though.

I’ve had many days where I am so busy checking off my TO DO list that at the end of the day, I look back and wonder if I gave my children any attention at all.  I’ll admit, I am not one to sit down and play Legos or dolls on the floor with my  kids on a regular basis. It’s just not in my nature.  I used to feel guilty because I didn’t but instead, I found a solution that is a win-win situation for both me and my kids.  It’s called “MOMMY TIME.”
France Photography

Mommy Time usually occurs after school & snack is over. Each of the kids have to take turns getting Mommy all. to. themselves.  Using a timer, each child only gets 10-15 minutes of uninterrupted ME.  They get to choose the activity (which they LOVE having control of that choice).  Often times, I end up wrestling them or having pillow fights on my bed (there must be something magical about MY bed) but sometimes we just talk or read together.  The other 2 children have to play together, which encourages sibling bonding as well.  It’s been VERY beneficial for our family.  I’ve even noticed that my kids are MUCH less whiny and needy afterwards.  Most importantly, at the end of the day, I can look back and think, “I am a good Mom because I spent 10-15 minutes of quality, one-on-one time with each of my kids” and THAT’S a good feeling.

WHAT DO YOU DO TO ENSURE ONE-ON-ONE TIME WITH EACH OF YOUR CHILDREN?

About Kelli


Kelli France is a busy woman! Her degree in Elementary Education comes into play as a mother of three, children's photographer, and online mentor to photographers. She loves what she does because it gives her a creative outlet. Kelli also likes to read (including lots of parenting books!), rock her aerobics class, and enjoy weekly date nights (for her personal sanity) with her husband. She currently resides in Colorado Springs.

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  • http://www.littlebitoflifephotography.com tabitha

    I give my kids “mommy (insert child’s name) time” where we get to go out on an outing …just them and me. They also get to choose what we do and we both love it! I’m not one to sit and play either, and I also used to feel guilty about it but this helps. I do love that you do this daily. It’s hard to fit a whole outing into the schedule, especially having three children so I think I may give your idea a go! I love your work, and this blog! Thanks for being an inspiration!

  • http://sh1ft.org/blog tracey

    I always make sure that after dinner, and before bedtime, my phone is off and the dvr is recording with the tv off. My kids get my undivided attention – lately it’s been picnics in the space tent and looking through photo albums together :)

  • http://www.wonderwomanwannabe.com heidi @ wonder woman wannabe

    We do the same thing at our house! We call it ‘special time’
    our little one (2) usually gets it in the morning as he’s the early bird in the family and the older (5) gets some special time during the 2 y-old’s naptime. I also encourage them to choose what they want to do and I agree it makes such a difference in behavior! :)

    http://www.wonderwomanwannabe.com/2009/07/special-time.html

  • http://www.penn-fam.blogspot.com Missy June

    I’m so thankful to hear that I’m not the only one who only gets 10-15 minutes of one-on-one time each day! I’m a single mother to three cuties and I try getting a bit of one-on-one time each day. For me, it is usually during the bath-book-bed routine. I can rotate the baths so that the baby gets bathed first, then read, rock and bed. Meanwhile the other two are in the tub and I get one out at a time following the same routine.

    During the school year, my middle daughter and I would have “Tea Time Tuesdays” while big brother was at school and litte brother was napping. She is looking forward to starting that back up!

    I hope to hear more fun ideas!
    Missy

  • http://www.brittanilouise.com Brittani

    Love this idea! I’m a new mom to twins and would love to do this with them! Thank you for sharing!

  • http://www.pamelamillerphotography.com Pam Miller

    Great idea Kelli! My little one is almost 2 so usuallly gets some mommy time during his nap (although many times I’m on the computer and distracted) but I can’t say our little one gets alone time yet. What a great thing to work towards.

  • http://www.3wishesphotography.com Cija Cooksey

    I too am a busy mom and am always looking for ways to better manage my time and make sure there is time left for my girls. Like you mentioned I not one to “play” so I have looked for places where I can invite my girls into my world. The most obvious time is dinner. I purchased cute little aprons for each of the girls in their signature colors (Pink, Blue & Green). On evenings where I feel like I can “handle” the “help”, I will pull down one of the aprons and lay it on the counter (they are always so excited when they see their color, I think it’s funny that they haven’t figured out that I am just rotating thru each color). Cooking with 3 girls is just plain stressful for me, but I really do enjoy focusing on just one little one at a time. Lately I have been making a schedule for myself each morning, allotting a set amount of time to each thing I need to do, with the help of a timer I make sure to not over do it in any one area. Keeping to the schedule is freeing up some time at the end of the day (around 4:00) to just be present and with the girls.

  • http://www.joshandkel.com Kelly

    This is such a great idea. I too am usually “too busy” to hang with the kids. I am not a “player of toys” either, and so I think..how can I give them time, if I don’t really like to play? I really like this idea. I am going to try it and record my findings on my blog. I think that EVERYONE can benefit from this. Thanks soo much for posting this. My kids thank you as well.