I am a stay-at-home mom to my son. He has special needs, so getting him out of the house is a lot of work. We try our best to take him to do fun activities out of the house, but in reality, we spend most of the time at home. When you’re stuck at home, for whatever reason, sometimes it can feel like the walls close in around you.
Here are some tips I have discovered and tried my hardest to implement in my life for when I’m stuck at home:
1. Get outdoors/get active
This still isn’t an easy task for us, but my son does love to spend time outside. Unfortunately, he gets overheated very quickly and the weather has been pretty warm lately. We also live on the top of a hill with thin curvy roads and no sidewalk, which makes walking around the neighborhood a little difficult. Despite this, I still try to get outside time where I can. We have shade over his swing in the backyard and have spent a lot of time at my parents’ pool.
Bonus: Playing outside and in the water seems to wear out my son.
2. Find an activity you and your kid(s) can do together
I love anything arts and crafts. My son has recently really started liking finger painting. We both do some painting together and it’s a lot of fun. Warning, this gets messy! Other activities could include gardening, cooking, baking and building things.
Whatever you choose to do together, enjoy every moment. Doing any activities with kids always seems to take longer and make more of a mess, but if they enjoy it, I feel like it is worth it!
3. Find a TV show or movie you can enjoy together
I know screen time is not always a favorable option and should be limited. Full disclosure: we have the TV on probably more than we should. My son has a lot of physical limitations and we spend a lot of time playing in the living room. Even if it is just for background noise, the TV is often on. Working on his core muscles when sitting on the floor, the TV is at a perfect height to act as a motivator to get him to sit upright. He goes through phases on which shows/movies he likes to watch; some I enjoy more than others. When he is in a phase of watching something I like too, I can say with certainty it makes it a lot easier to watch the same thing over and over. His current obsession: The Super Mario Bros Movie.
Whatever your motivation or screen time allowance, I don’t judge. We do what we have to do to make it through the day and not go crazy, right?
4. Keep you space clear of clutter
It may sound new agey, but I notice when my surroundings are less cluttered, so is my brain. Of course this is always easier said than done. Kids come with messes. I try to take some time every now and again to pick up clutter and clean up a bit. Like everything else, there are better days than others.
5. Give yourself patience
I would love to say I am the perfect mom and never lose my cool, but who would I be kidding? Being an extroverted person and required to spend a great deal of time at home, sometimes my mental state takes a hit. I have been working since I was 15. When we made the choice for me to stay home and take care of my son, I didn’t expect it to be a permanent thing. There are days it can really get to me. I get very little validation or “job well done,” less sleep and what seems like no contact with the outside world. There are days where I have a shorter fuse. If I ever do lose my patience, I usually end up beating myself up for it long after my son even remembers it happened.
If you are in a similar position, give yourself some grace. One weak moment does not define you. You still are doing an amazing job! Being a mom is not an easy job and you are human. You will have better days than others and that is okay!
