7 Great Child Bonding Tips For Working Mom

Can you remember when was the last time you hug your children or done any child bonding activities with them, and do you consider yourself being a working mom who always acts fair in juggling between family and career? Playing the role as working mom in a modern family is a tough call by itself and finding a chance to dedicate special time block exclusively for child bonding is as scarce as it can get. As more working moms have come to realize this fact, many of them have stood by the practice of utilizing routine moments to exercise child bonding.

Child Bonding Tips 1: Never Underestimate Physical Interactions Effectiveness

As working moms get more attached to their jobs overtime, simple body gestures may take a back seat with the rushing to and back from work. Working moms very often hush their kids into the car for schools, scurry them to finish meals and head for homework, shoo them to sleep after passing their bedtime, every gestures defeating the physical interactions for child bonding. Racing against the time may not earn you much extra minutes but burn the relationship bridge faster than you can imagine. Slow down… Child bonding can effectively be done in minutes! 

• Capture the brisk moments before leaving for work to cuddle and kiss your toddlers goodbye
• Give encouraging pat or words while sending your older children to school
• Catch short conversations when you fetch them home by asking what interesting things happened or been done during the day
• Pay real attention by giving due responses to what they say to make them feel you are REALLY interested

Child Bonding Tips 2: Get Accustomed To Family Rituals

Being a working mom should not stop you from sticking to a set of predetermined activities that requires participation from every family member.

• Have Meals together – Be a family-oriented working mom by making effort to get everyone sit together for dinner. Save the “don’t-talk-when-you-eat” rule. This is the golden opportunity for child bonding by bringing up casual conversation with your children. Be opened about their thoughts and deeds. You may give opinions but do not force your views and ruin the dinner. Leave the serious conversation for personal session.

•  Get Insights to Their Daily Work – Be an attentive working mom by going through their homework. Guide them if you can, or show some interest when they flaunt their new skills and knowledge to assert their confidence and enhance the memory. Don’t panic when they seek your help on something beyond your expertise. Be sporting and Google answers together!

•  Preserve Intimate Moments – Be a tender working mom. Obstetrician and Gynecologist, Dr. Laura Stachel suggested that bathing together and breast-feeding is extremely effective in child bonding in that it heighten the sense of love and care in infants and toddlers by building the foundation of their trusts and compassion through dedicated affections.

• Bedtime Stories Are Never Outdated – Be a creative working mom by making bedtime story extraordinary. Instead of reading plainly from books, you can bring in favorite cartoons and family members as story characters. Blend child bonding-related values into the plots. Engage them in the story flow and let your imaginations run wild! 

Image Source: www.enjoyfoodbeactive.org

Child Bonding Tips 3: Set Up Special Routines

Who doesn’t love anticipation of fun and exciting events? Despite not present by their side all the time, being a contemporary working mom will never be less valued by the family if you put some thoughtful planning in your calendar.

• Share Common Interests – It may be impossible that every family member share the same hobbies. Identifying something in common and meaningful to everyone will be the greatest success of a working mom. Sit back and think what you both enjoy. Ever consider getting a pet? Or did they ever express interests in your research, experiments or explorations? Count them in, you will have nothing to lose.

• Do Projects Together – Set out a specific day and time for participating in short/long term ventures. DIY projects, scrapbooking and photography sessions are some of the projects that can increase child bonding.

• Log Important Dates – Set reminders on birthdays and anniversaries to allow careful party planning and get everyone excited to celebrate and be celebrated. I bet working mom can get this done even in between working hours.

• Engage them in outdoor activities – Child bonding time is not confined to indoor. Sweat out with the children by going picnicking, playing games, fishing, jogging and swimming to name a few. Joining in community service can also bring working mom closer to children who realize the value of love and care in relationships.

Video – Ways To Reinforce Child Bonding For Working Mom

Child Bonding Tips 4: Turn House Errands into Child Bonding Moments

Just when you complain of house chores overload, look at it as opportunities to request your children’s engagement. Grocery shopping and gardening may be something feminine for girls bonding while the boys may prefer to involve in garage cleaning and minor car repairs. Child bonding is not entirely affection showering but can be used indirectly to train them on basic responsibilities. Most importantly, show your appreciation for their support in helping you juggling the family and career roles as a working mom.

Child Bonding Tips 5: Show Your Care BUT NOT Scrutinize

Working moms are quick to over-panic when the children draw a distance from them. A good advice is – never rush into child bonding. If you try to go under their cover to scrutinize the root cause, it may back-fire in many folds. Confronting them will just strain the relationship and your stress barometer will affect your working mood the next day, sparking a vicious cycle.

Understand that children grow fast and their needs for attention vary at different stages. Let them come to you. Just by letting them know your arms and doors are opened 24/7 is the best a working mom can do in working towards child bonding for older kids. Be supportive and respect their privacy and they will be more inclined to share their joys and predicaments with you.

Child Bonding Tips 6: Be A Consistent and Transparent Working Mom

Children don’t hate working mom for their jobs. They just despise it when you don’t walk your talk. Don’t just cancel the family activities when you need to rush for assignments deadlines. Instead, bring your work to their vicinity to maintain your accessibility if they feel like asking you questions or opinions. A little distraction won’t hurt but being there for them is extremely meaningful in child bonding.

When you foresee your absence, be honest in sharing your situations and difficulties with them. Let them know when you are unavailable and what your best effort is to reduce the impact rather than making empty promises. This way, you will not only gain their respect as a working mom but conveyed an important message about security and trustworthiness.

Child Bonding Tips 7: Save The best For Last

Although not every working mom has the same family tradition, deep down you know the best ways to child bonding. Toddlers and young children may prefer snuggles, kisses and soothing touches before sleep while older children and teens may just want a pat on the back as encouragements.

Forgive each other when conflict arises along the way and let them know that they are your important emotional support pillars.

We hope that these tips can help working mom in making child bonding a success. Putting above suggestions into practice will not only resolve your interest conflict as working mom but also take child bonding effort a step forward by instilling positive development on their social, cognitive and emotional skills in the long run.