Twice a year, we change the clocks. In the fall, we gain an hour (woohoo!), and in the spring, we lose an hour (boo!). But as a mom, I feel like I’m losing hours all the time. I feel like life is springing forward every day. When you dig through old boxes or look at photos of your kids from years ago, it’s hard not to think that they are growing up too fast. Just last week while doing laundry, I folded a shirt and remembered when we got it as a hand-me-down. I thought it was way too big for either of my boys. My younger son has almost outgrown it.
I’ve heard plenty of moms say they wish they could stop time. Sorry to break it to you, friends. Whether we like it or not, time is going to keep on moving. We can’t change that. But what we can change is what we do with these minutes. Here are 60 ways you lose a minute with your kids every day.
Before I list these 60 minutes, I want to get real. None of us is 100 percent engaged every day and it’s healthy to take time for ourselves. Plus I think my kids need to know that I’m not at their beck and call. Sometimes, we have to have a moment. But, moms, if we’re talking about really wasting time—like mindless, careless, or useless stuff—we can do better. So take back these 60 minutes. Shoot, take back 30 and you’ll be off to a good start.
- Worrying
- Checking your work email at home
- Retaking a photo 6 times to capture a moment at the perfect angle
- Stressing about which filter to put on the photo you just took
- Multitasking during homework time
- Rushing the kids to finish their dinner
- Mindless scrolling on Facebook
- Mindless scrolling on Instagram
- Hitting the snooze button
- Cleaning something that is clean enough
- Lecturing them about something that just doesn’t matter
- Saying “not right now” to the offer to hear a joke
- Playing another round of the latest addictive game on your phone
- Watching a little TV to relax (and reluctantly turning it off three hours later)
- Worrying about things that are out of your control
- Taking a phone call during dinner
- Checking your phone to see if you missed a text
- Taking an online quiz to see what your ice cream preference says about your personality
- Checking to see who liked your post
- Surfing the Internet while you wait with your kids at the pediatrician’s office
- Stressing about the small messes
- Talking on the phone about work during the car ride to school
- More mindless scrolling on Facebook
- More mindless scrolling on Instagram
- Yelling about things that are petty
- Responding to a text in the middle of a conversation
- Waiting too long to talk when you’re mad
- Responding with “in a minute” to the request to read a story when you really have no intention of stopping what you’re doing
- Checking (again) to see who liked your post
- Worrying about your kids’ happiness (You care enough to read this. They are happy. We promise!)
- Looking for your lost car keys
- Re-watching a YouTube video you’ve seen 100 times
- Skipping out on bedtime prayers
- Worrying about your weight
- Getting sucked into the comments on an article
- Logging on to Twitter real quick
- Watching a random video that pops up on social
- Scrolling Amazon to see what you might want to buy
- Checking (yet again) to see who liked your post
- Complaining about silly stuff
- Staying angry when you need to let it go
- Worrying about what might go wrong
- Reading one more work email
- Taking another online quiz like, “Pick a cocktail and we’ll tell you what to watch on Netflix this month.”
- Even more mindless scrolling on Facebook
- Even more mindless scrolling on Instagram
- Disciplining when you just need to let it go this time
- Scrolling the Internet when the kids are right in front of you, waiting to play or talk
- Giving them extra screen time just because you want more screen time
- Over analyzing the last email your boss sent
- Joining in on a gossipy text thread
- Worrying about money
- Staying late at work after the boss has said to go home
- Reading trashy books or magazines
- Checking (yet again) to see who liked your post
- Stressing about overcooking dinner
- Taking yet another online quiz like, “Tell us what you eat in a day and we’ll tell you what you should do for your birthday!”
- Checking to see who liked your post (one last time!)
- Wondering if you are loved
- Wondering if they know they are loved
Think your kids are growing up too fast? How can you take back a minute?
