A Working Mom's Guide to Weekend Bonding Moments with Kids

As a full time working mom, weekends are so important for me.  All working moms would agree with me that these two full days will not be spent in resting but more so in bonding with our kids. 

During the whole work week, moms like me who works in the corporate world let go of our family life and focus on our careers.  It is only during the weekend that we loosen the grip and be more carefree. 

Here are some guidelines that working moms can follow to have a more enjoyable weekend bonding time with our kids.

Let go of the Corporate Fashion.  During workweek, working moms need to dress in a corporate manner.  Neatly pressed blouses topped with coats, crisp looking skirts or slacks, and high heel shoes to complete the outfit.  Let go of these.  Change the blouses to a shirt or polo shirt for more comfortable hugging with your kids.  Change the skirts and slacks to denims and shorts for more physical activities with the little ones.  And trade in the high heel shoes to loafers or sneakers for more running activities with the kiddos.

Drop the To-Do List.   During the workweek, working moms need to have a to-do list every day.  This helps us be more organized, and not miss a single thing during the entire day or workweek.  Drop this during the weekend.  Bonding with your kids need not have a to-do list.  Be more carefree.  This will bring out the creativity in both you and your little ones.

Lessen the Time-Consciousness.  During the workweek, working moms need to be time-conscious.  Everything must be done within the given time frame.  No time to slack, no time to be relaxed.   Lessen the time-consciousness during the weekend.  After all, this is our time to be with our kids 24/7.

Listen More.  During the workweek, working moms especially those who are up in the corporate ladder are leaders.  We lead meetings, huddles, coaching, and trainings.  As such we are the primary speakers.  Our ideas are everywhere are we speak.  During weekends, it’s time we speak less and listen more.  Let us hear our kids’ ideas.  This is our chance to help build the leadership skills in them.   

Dismiss the Perfectionist Attitude. During the workweek, working moms wants everything perfect.  No room for mistakes, as a single one might cause us our jobs.  Dismiss the perfectionist attitude during the weekends.  Let us be more carefree, relaxed, and untroubled during the time we have with our kids.  Let our kids experience mistakes as they will learn from that.  Because whether they finish first, last, or not at all, to parents, their kids are the best.  So lets encourage our kids to learn from their mistakes. It helps them grow into life more confidently. 

This particular McDonald’s commercial is really close to heart.  It shows how bonding with our kids can greatly affect how they view things. 

As career women, we might want to let go of our career-driven attitudes during the weekends as we focus more on family time with our children.  Let our children be our sole priority during the weekends and let them feel that they are always loved.