The Importance of Child-Free Time

Last month we celebrated Mother’s Day. Social media was filled with kind words, and beautiful pictures of people celebrating phenomenal women in their life. It was a very special day, to see mothers all over the world be celebrated and shown appreciation.

I noticed that many mothers said that they’d love to just spend the day relaxing without interruption and be freed from the day-to-day responsibilities of mothering.

Mothering is hard work, and you deserve a break more frequently than just once a year.

Having child-free time is important for every parent. For those of us who do not have children yet, we may take for granted the amount of free time we have. In today’s blog post we are going to discuss the importance for each parent to have child-free time.

What is Child-Free Time

The time that you carve away to focus on yourself or your relationships aside from your role as a parent. Ultimately, it is a way to practice self-care.

Benefits

Having child-free time comes with so many benefits, included but not limited to:

  • Better concentration
  • Less stress
  • More empathic parenting
  • Ability to aide in the reduction of symptoms related to depression and anxiety
  • Overall improved mental state

You might enjoy reading: The Key to Getting a Strong-willed Child to Listen

How Often Should I have Child-Free Time

There isn’t a rule on how often one should practice child-free time. Once a week sounds lovely, but not everyone has that luxury. If you can aim for at least once a month, you’re doing great.

Small Ways to Get Child-Free Time Each Day

-Taking a relaxing bath or shower

-Having a cup of coffee or tea while children are sleeping

– Enjoying a chapter in a book or short podcast

– Taking a walk or going for a run

– Meditating for 5 minutes before entering your home after work

– Scheduling a date night or time with friends

Guilt-Free

Often time we can feel guilty for scheduling, wanting or looking forward to time away from our children. In the beginning, when starting a routine of child-free time its key to acknowledge those feelings of guilt and then begin to remember why you’re practicing self-care in that way. More often than not, having an hour or so away from our children each week can lead to a better relationship because you are more focused and attuned to their needs, simply because you were attuned to your own.

Love what you read? Here’s more

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Disclaimer: This blog post and website is for educational and/or informational purposes only and includes a lot of my personal opinion. This blog post and website does not substitute a therapeutic relationship with a licensed counselor.  

Hi I’m Emily
Emily-Baymon
I’m passionate about providing parents…
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