How do you find time to take care of yourself? Having children can be tiring and take up a lot of your time. It leaves you with little time to care for yourself mentally, emotionally, and physically sometimes. As parents, what do you do for yourself to help yourself avoid "parent burnout" and take care of yourself?
By Krystal from Kenora, Ontario
When my kids were small, even when they weren't in school, I had them in bed by 8:00PM and I also had them take naps in the afternoon. As soon as they could walk a little bit, when it was bed time/nap time we went around and picked up there toys and put them away before they went to bed, that way they were learning to pick up after themselves. The way I look at it is that when people have kids they don't really have much time to themselves.
Get yourself a babysitter at least once a month and go out with your husband on a "date". No need to spend a lot.
The very best thing I did - for both my kids and me - was to join a babysitting co-op with other families. No money was needed, just hours exchanged. There are lots and lots of ways to run a co-op, so check out your area to see if there's one near you. If not, just get together with two or three other families and start your own! You can either have the co-op work for just the moms, or for date nights with hubbies, too.
