QT

I spoke here about trying to carve out a few minutes for myself each day. Here's the thing. I also need to carve out a few minutes for my kids each day. Easier said than done. You might ask, "Why? You're working from home. You're sort of with your kids all day." I do see my kids throughout the workday. It's my favorite pandemic silver lining. But - when I see them I am typically scurrying into the kitchen to get my decaf coffee, or kindly kicking them out of my office. My little Mia is so over seeing me and Hubs but not getting our attention. She says, "Don't make a call, don't go to work." When I'm not working, I'm making food, feeding them, bathing them, cleaning. And cleaning. And cleaning. Did I mention I spend a lot of time cleaning? So there was (is - eek) very little quality time. But of course, our kids need undivided attention from us, at least for a few minutes as often as possible. Having this special time leads to a better parent-kid connection and fewer meltdowns.

Recently I read about "special time" on my favorite Instagram account: @drbeckyathome. I didn't take notes so don't sue me if I get this wrong, but here are my takeaways from Dr. Becky, a psychologist and parenting pro, on "special time," AKA QT (for Quality Time) in our family:

-- Try to spend special one-on-one time with each child, each day.
-- QT can be ten or even five minutes.
-- No parent's phone/interruptions allowed.
-- Just play whatever your kid wants to play. Follow his/her lead.
-- Do not ask questions. Go with your kid's flow.

I have been trying to implement even five minute QT's on as many days as possible. Now Liv iniaties. She'll say, "Let's do five minutes of QT with each kid." So after bathtime we'll set the timer and I'll be with one child and Hubs will be with the other, and then we'll swap. The girls love it. Do we do it every day? No. Do we try? Heck yea. Life is made up of those little moments, those QT's.

AES