As a Busy Parent, How Do You Make Time for Yourself?

As a parent, do you feel like you ever get any down time? And if so, how do you spend it?  (Posting your kid’s photos to Shutterfly or ironing on Daisy patches doesn’t count.) 

When was the last time you read a book?  Or didn’t have the Jonas Brothers or Wiggles CD on in the car?

I’m in serious need of some down time, but to be honest, I can barely imagine how I would spend it if I could get it.  It’s almost like I’ve forgotten how to do things that are not kid, work, school or volunteer related. 

How sad.

Most parenting advice tells you to be sure to make time for yourself.  But my questions is – how? And what do you do with that time?

A lot of my friends spend their alone time going to the gym or running errands.  That is not at all fun sounding to me. 

Others catch up on Facebook or read the news online.  Better, but my eyes are already bleeding from spending too much time on the computer writing or working.

The spa?  Fabulous…and expensive.

One friend’s guilty pleasure is watching TV shows like “Dancing with the Stars” and “American Idol.”  I’d love to be able to sit and do that, but my brain keeps reminding me, loudly, that I have 700 things I should be doing, including tackling that mountain of laundry.

Recently my husband has been bringing the girls to the indoor pool on Sunday afternoons.  It’s great for them to be able to spend some time with him, and technically I could be using that as “me time.” 

Ten percent of the time I do work.  Ninety of the time I take a nap.

There’s one thing that no matter how often you hear it, you can’t really understand it until you’re a parent:  Being a parent is absolutely exhausting.  I simply can’t get enough sleep and there are not enough hours in the day.  How am I supposed to make time for me?  Maybe at 3 a.m.

Every parent’s reality is different and some people find a balance easier than others. 

So what is the secret?  How does my one friend with four little ones always seem to post on Facebook about her date nights and her tennis games?

There are plenty of articles on the Internets giving advice on how to make time for yourself, especially for new moms.  Most offer lists of things to do -  meditate, go to lunch with friends or take a class.  There are many great ideas out there.  But realistically the “how” and “when” get the better of me. 

How is everyone else out there managing it?