mother

“I wish i was thier phone….”

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So im looking through my Facebook feed (whilst bub is sleeping) and this picture hits me right in the heart, a little boy  with what looks like his parents hands holding mobile phones with a caption that reads ” I wish i was their phone… so they would hold me and look at me all day”

kids,parents,technology

Such a powerful image that had me thinking how much time do i actually spend on my phone and better yet how much of that time is when my son is around? I took note throughout the day and noticed im on my phone at least once every half hour for up to 10 – 15 minutes at a time. That’s a lot of time to be loosing watching our babies grow up. Im often complaining about how quick my son is growing and yet here i am with my head down for quite a bit of time during the day missing out on all that growing and learning.

Social media and the internet is an exciting place, i love it hence the reason i spend so much time on it, i google my diagnosis every time im sick, i seek opinions when im unsure, it’s a brilliant thing, but just maybe if we look up once in a while we will see life is passing us by, put the phone down, grab your babies and go smell the fresh air outside, chase butterflies , throw a ball and just explore before your babies are to big to want to be around you.

After seeing this image it has made me really think about the time im spending with my little boy and am now conscience of what im spending my time on, i know im going to limit my time on my phone because i want to experience life with my kids and teach them that socializing with people is fun and healthy and far better then having your head focused on a screen all day.

Im sure many will disagree with me and that’s fine but i ask this, next time your on your phone have a look at the attitude of your child, do they look sad, are they feeling left out do they need more attention?

Until next time

-Realhonestmum

 

Where does the time go?

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Ok, so when people tell you kids grow to fast so enjoy every moment, they were not kidding. It’s been 5 months since my last blog, yes i feel guilty but for those who have kids, you would know your day’s can never really be planned and what you thought you could do isn’t necessarily what happens but here i am giving it another go.

My son is almost 12 months old and the sunshine of my life. Who would have thought i would grow to enjoy this parenting thing. When days are tough he always knows how to make me smile and for that my life has changed for the better. Yes it’s hard at times and wow.. do i miss sleep but yes, I’m going to say that old cliché line… i wouldn’t have it any other way.

Being a parent isn’t easy and we all have our ways of coping and dealing with the day ahead  so i thought i would share my 5 tips that may or may not help, suit or excite you.

1. Find something that you enjoy drinking (other than Alcohol) and have a drink first thing in the morning. For me it’s coffee. I need 2 of them every morning. After i have them i feel energized and ready to tackle anything the little one will throw at me.

2. Find an escape that can occupy you for a few minutes every couple of hours in the day. I know it’s not easy sometimes to find this time but even if it’s while your little one is eating, or sleeping. Keep in mind it doesn’t have to be for long. It could be reading through a magazine, reading that favourite line in a book or for me its scrolling through Instagram and Facebook. What can i say, im a social media magnet. But hey, its something i can do without having to think, only takes a couple of minutes and for some reason after that im then ready for the next house chore, nappy change or grocery shopping trip.

3. Im always on the go, my mind travels a thousand miles an hour and when im doing one thing, im often thinking about something else. Because of this i feel like sometimes i don’t appreciate being a parent. It wasn’t until about 2 months ago that i realised how quick time goes, i would often find things to occupy my son so that i could sterilize the bottles, or prepare dinner, mop the floors or do the washing. Yes these are all important day to day things we all have to do but now i make the time to spend at least half an hour a day just playing on the floor with my child, it might just be reading him a book or letting him jump all over me. The special thing about this time is i bet you will realise something that you hadn’t seen before. A new facial expression, a hand gesture or even a word. It really is rewarding,

4. Parent Forums are a great way to learn, laugh and feel like your doing an ok job. Ones that i follow are on Facebook, a big one is Mummy Madness. For me it’s not necessarily about asking advice but more seeing what other parents are going through. Often questions will be asked that you might have been thinking about, or issues that might arise with your little one that now puts you at ease knowing others are going through the same thing. It also shows you that more often then not other parents are having a harder time then you and your life or situation doesn’t seem so bad. Every now and again a discussion gets heated and put a smile to my face seeing all the passionate parents out there. Go ahead and start searching for a forum.

5. Day Care has saved my sanity. We put our son in daycare for 2 days a week when he was under 6 months old. We got negative feedback and criticism and i felt terrible for the first week. I went back to work part time and i honestly believe it has made me a better mother. I have my adult time to breath a little and work doesn’t seem so bad any more. We were lucky that we found a great centre and they adore our son and he enjoys his time there. Over the months we have seen him grow into a very social happy boy and we believe that day care had a lot to go with it. Even if for just 1 day its not only great for you but also for there development.

 

Remember these tips aren’t for everyone, like a child every parent and parenting style is different. What works for one wont necessarily work for another. I hope at least 1 tip can benefit you. I would love to hear 1 tip from you all, maybe i can benefit from you. Feel free to write a comment below.

 

Until next time, hopefully sooner rather than later and don’t forget to enjoy every moment because it really does go to quick

 

– Realhonestmum x