Self-Care Day For Kids Needs To Be A Priority
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I think all parents can agree that our children deserve the best.
This isn’t in the realm of material things, it’s more about having the love that they need and a proper home. Good parenting and education as well.
One thing I have come to realize though is that kids deserve the best version of themselves as well. And I think that many of us, me included, fall short in one certain category.
We always talk about taking time for ourselves as adults. Whether it be by practicing good self-care or by carving out the appropriate time to do what we love and provide for our personal mental health.
But we don’t teach our kids to do the same. We don’t show it often enough by example, and we don’t actively teach them how to do it either.
Furthermore, if we do not teach them such critical things, we are looking at the next generation of ourselves.
Bad habits will continue to cycle if we don’t put an end to it.
If we truly want the best for our children, which we all do, we need to show them how to be at their very best. Amirite?
I had this revelation before when I saw an adorable Facebook post circling around. In it, this mom could see that her little one had had a rough day at school. So she gave her the spa treatment at home. A giant bubble bath, juice in a wine glass, favorite shows on the tablet, cucumbers on the eyes. It was the sweetest, most wholesome image.
Because that mom is right. We forget that children aren’t exempt from bad days. Our babies are resilient, but they don’t always have to be. A self-care day for them needs to be just as important as it is for us.
How often do you have an urge to come home, fling off your bra, get into your coziest sweats and hunker down for a night of snacks, Forensic Files, and Dateline?
Nobody? Just me?
Well, we all have our thing. But the point is, there are times in our lives where we just want to chill. We want to take time to pause and empty our mind of the day. To do this we want to find what makes us happy in that moment and to do so without restriction.
Or until we have to go to bed because….kids. And jobs.
So why can’t we make the effort to do this for our babies? Why don’t we think to provide the space for a self-care day for them as we do for us? We are the guides for their lives. They were given to us for a reason. We are responsible for helping them to learn lifelong habits that will set them up for success.
Self-care for them isn’t going to look the same as it does for us. For my daughter it is watching shows on Youtube Kids or doing art. For my son, it’s snuggling with mommy or watching hamsters go through mazes on TV.
Yeah, that’s weird. I know. It’s a new thing….
But it’s what makes them happy when they desperately want and need to be happy. And I need to respect that and allow it. Forcing my daughter to get off the tablet because she’s been on it long enough isn’t always necessary. Sometimes it’s more important to have that extra time. The mental health break that it provides is more beneficial right then. Obviously, there are plenty of other times where self-care isn’t front and center and moderation needs to come into play. It’s a balancing act. But we need to be cognizant of everything going on at any given time.
As parents, as their life guides, we need to try to do better for them. Not only do we need to make an effort to show by example, but we also need to allow them to put it into practice. A simple acknowledgment of them having a subpar day and asking them what would make it better goes a long way. It’s them seeing that we are invested in their wellbeing and helping them to connect the dots so as to know how they can take themselves into a better mental state.
Our children are our future, we see that everywhere we go. Let’s make their future the best that it can be, in all beneficial ways. Pencil in a self-care day for your mini’s when you are scheduling your own. It will go a long way!
Comments
YES. Self-care is so, so important. And hopefully our kids will be better at it than we are! Start teaching them young.
Yup,kids should learn it. As young as they could. Nice article.
I am not a mother but I think that the initiative about kids selfcare is really good.
I love this. Gotta teach self-care when they’re young, it’ll help them get through life as they get older.
I agree that self-care is important and also known by kids, at a young age they must learn how to take care of themselves with our help and face obstacles in life and be more prepared.
So true! Teaching self care is really important. When I was a child I used to take care of myself and home most of the time as my parents would be out at work
When need to teach their kids about self care. We know it’s important. We may even know a few things that we “should” do for self-care. Thanks for sharing the article
this is super important and i try to do this with my kids all the time 🙂
I’ve been teaching my son this for quite some time now. He knows that it’s okay to not be okay and that sometimes, he can just take a step back and it’s fine.
self care is very important not only for elders but also for children….Indeed this blog post is really very helpful and interesting..Thanks for sharing the awareness..this is really very important to let know tha parents about the value of care of their child..Loved this..Great work…
I love this! Self care is such an important thing and often not made out to be. Thanks for sharing!
Oooh, I love this idea. It is so important to teach our kids the right balance between self care and care for others, especially when they are still young.
Self-care for our children can be cultivated. Sometimes, it seems that nothing works. But with a personal example and continuous caring support, our kiddos do learn it.
Such a good initiative! Self-care should not only be learned by some but in all ages, especially for kids.
Self care and emotional regulation is important for every age. Setting an example starts at home.
Every kid deserves the best, and self care is surely the best thing.
this is such a good idea! self care is so important!
kileen
cute & little