We invite my kid's friends' families over for playdates. We teach the parents board games like splendor, sea salt & paper or rummykub, while the kids play. My husband & I also squeeze Jaipur or Lost Cities after bedtime, or play Lil Everdell, Catan Jr, etc., with the kids. They are 9 & 6.
Dude, between work and a toddler I've all but given up on reading and gaming, not to mention that watching shows becomes impossible at a certain point too unless you really enjoy Bluey. Just wait for the three hour tuck-ins each night.
Audiobooks while cleaning, or cooking dinner is the only way I can do it. I had an aversion to it initially but once I got over that I went from zero books to ending out the year with 25+ books enjoyed.
Read for my personal entertainment or enrichment? Only if such lofty aims coinside with what my kid's reading in 6th grade. I do this through the audiobook wizardry of 2x speed listening.
The secret is to read the books you like to them. Not only does it keep you engaged as a reader but as long as it's not too far above their comprehension level, they also get to hear higher vocabulary as well.
Right there with you. I was an avid reader then children. Trying to find a balance between providing for your family and providing for yourself is a fine balance act. Why do you think our grandparents took the newspaper into the bathroom.
It gets easier as they get older, you can read as they play with blocks/legos/etc. Otherwise, I'd just do 20-30 minutes a day after their bedtime. You'll get back there, don't worry.
Listen to the entire Wheel of Time…by the time you’re done, your daughter will be running for Congress (& you will learn how to correctly pronounce all the names!)
I've only managed to read, write, or play games by losing sleep. Otherwise, I have next to no time, especially after having to clean up after them & myself.
Becoming a parent means sharing your solitary pursuit, however, it does allow you one of the few opportunities in life, from now on, to enjoy the experience of your offspring listening to what you tell them!
Get your kids a Yoto player, too, so they can get used to audiobooks and podcasts. For me, I get the Kindle edition, add narration (which is the audiobook), and switch back and forth between reading and listening.
When my daughter was young and Harry Potter was new, we read Harry Potter as a family. My wife read it out loud while I provided improvised guitar music. We went through the first few books that way. (After that, the kid was reading on her own.)
I heard some lady nerd on a podcast recently say she bookends her day - a little in the morning and a little at night. It was so puntastic, I had to share…
The day is gonna come when you have too much time to read and you will long for these days. Enjoy them while you can. I didn’t believe it when others told me and now I get it.
Comments
Gotta get that peace and quiet 🤫 💜
Parental Tip: Put yourself in the corner. 😂❤️
My Daughter grew to be an avid reader 💜
I did get to read one of the the Narnia series & the other Harry Potter series.
Enjoy reading bedtime stories, I miss that now.
;)