11 Healthy, Happy Working Parent Tips
Here are 11 coaching tips to be a healthy, happy working parent from my clients that are exceptional professionals and extraordinary parents like you!
1) ME for WE
The most important tip is to put your basic needs first. You can't give what you don't have. Remember, 'ME for WE'. All WE relationships suffer if you are chronically stressed, tired, unfit, and overworked. Children are modeling your behavior, if you don't want them to live and work like you... change and lead by example.
2) Powerful Questions
Balance yourself daily with regular questions about your work and lifestyle:
Would I want my child eating this lunch?
Would I want my child using these coffee/alcohol/soda habits?
Do I want my child going to sleep at this hour?
3) Positive Morning
Leave for work on a positive note even when it's hurried and hectic. What is 1 thing that could make your morning family time together better? Try having your breakfast when they eat, make smoothies together, have a carpool sing-a-long, drop a love note in their lunch, or just hold onto the goodbye hug a little bit longer.
4) Fit Fam
Time and motivation can be limited, so include your family in your fitness with two steps. First, tell them about your goals to increase accountability to do more yoga, walking, biking or hiking. Second, make more physical family plans, ask to participate in their games/sports and invite them to do your favorite activities.
5) Touches When Traveling
Being away from your family can be hard, but you can touch their heart and fill yours while traveling. Put jokes, puzzles or little gifts in envelopes for the # of days you will be away. Say 'goodnight' or 'have a great day!' with audio/video text messages, use Facetime to see your favorite faces, send pictures of where you are, or even mail a handwritten postcard!
6) 1-on-1 Dates
A powerful parent practice is to setup 1-on-1 dates with all your family members on a monthly or quarterly basis. Choose activities that are unique to each family member's interests and watch how everyone looks forward to this quality time. Celebrating half-birthdays without gifts, but their choice of family activity is another winning way to promote less stress and family-wide happiness!
7) Family Challenge
What's good for your children is good for you and vice versa. Setup a 7-21 day family challenge on a healthy behavior with a tracking system and family reward! Here's an example:
Healthy Behavior - Eat breakfast
Challenge - Eat breakfast for 14 consecutive days
Tracking - Family member's put their initials on a poster located on the refrigerator for the date they ate breakfast.
Reward - Sporting event tickets for the family
8) Transform Chores
Clean up faster and with more fun by including your children. Set a 10-minute timer and see how quickly they can complete an easy to delegate chore for a non-food reward. Consider cranking up the music to turn household cleaning into a dance party and change areas of the house with every new song!
9) Nutrition Contribution
Healthy eating is hard for a working parent. Teach knowledge and skills in the kitchen with by letting children scoop, pour, cut, pack, wash, dry, measure, peel, and/or separate. Teenagers can even be in charge of cooking one meal for the family per week to make life a little easier.
10) Evening Routine
Bedtime is another opportunity for connection and relaxation for all. Begin by dimming down the lights an hour before the children's bedtime, diffuse a lavender oil in their room, play relaxing music in the background, read a book together, rub their back and have them breathe into the placement of your hand, and share something you are all grateful for the day. After the kids are asleep, hop into your own bed for more rest and energy.
11) Spontaneous Mom/Dad
When is the last time you were really spontaneous with your family? Once a month surprise yourself and loved ones by doing something fun and totally out of character. You know you have the perfect idea when thinking about it makes you smile and feel good!