Article: Daily one-on-one time with your son.
Daily one-on-one time with your son.
The 10 minute miracle!
I have been feeling overwhelmed with the boys' moods lately. On the days they have both been home, I have felt like I was playing umpire all day. The constant fighting over toys, throwing tantrums about costumes, arguing over which Bluey to watch, I just couldn't catch a break. There were moments of calm but they seemed fleeting. I know this is all normal behaviour but I was starting to get weighed down by the constant battle.
In comes my saviour post from Big Little Feelings. The 10 minute miracle: Daily one-on-one time with your kid. They choose the activity. No distractions. Just you and them. It seemed like a no brainer, but how easy is it to get to the end of the day and you realise that you've missed that time!
Due to kindy hours, I was already spending a lot of one-on-one time with Hudson but almost zilch with Leo. For Hudson it was barely any with Dad.
We started prioritising this time and we have noticed a huge change in their behaviour. Sometimes, it's just as simple as sitting on the floor playing lego. Yesterday, I rode in a truck over lava and chased down monsters. Then skipped down the road singing "Let's go fly a kite" until I rolled my ankle - you lose a lot of lower peripheral vision with a mask on!
For Mama and Leo time, he wanted to go out for ice-cream, usually a 100% Daddy's boy, he asked for me to hold his hand in bed last night (something he has always done since his days in NICU).
The boys can now count on this one-on-one time, we don't always get to do it daily with the schedules of life, but we are still noticing a lot less meltdowns.
So if the tantrums are high in your home and you're feeling at a loose end, give it a go. Let me know how you get on!
Kate x
hello@judeandmoo.com
📸: Self-timer as it was just us two.