Three Parenting Hacks That Make Life Easier!

This is Guest Post. I only share information that I find fun, informative, or important. Enjoy!

We all know a mom who works full time, heads the PTO, coaches her kids' swim team, and still manages to make it to the gym five days a week and serve a home-cooked dinner every night. You might think you have to be that sort of mom for your children to be happy and successful, but the good news is that you don't. The following three strategies are guilt-free ways to make parenting easier, without sacrificing your children's best interests.

Choose Convenience in the Kitchen
Picking up dinner at a fast food joint every night is undoubtedly not a healthy choice for your family, but you can prepare a quick meal without sacrificing nutrition. There is nothing wrong with serving up frozen vegetables or rice tossed in the microwave for a few minutes. Pair these side items with a burger cooked on the grill or chicken cooked in a crock-pot, and dinner will be ready soon after you walk in the door from work. You can also simplify school lunches by packing pre-packaged fruit cups along with ready-made turkey and cheese lunches. Many food manufacturers are now offering these pre-packaged items without preservatives, added sugars, or artificial sweeteners, so you can choose convenience without loading your child up with unhealthy ingredients. Quickly prepare dinner and pack lunches for the next day, and you can enjoy more time relaxing with your family instead of spending hours working in the kitchen every evening.

Skip the Activities They Don't Enjoy
Extracurricular activities like sports and music lessons are beneficial for children, but you shouldn't feel pressured to enroll your kids in every program available. Let them pick and choose a few things that interest them, and forget the rest. The kids will be fine if they skip out on piano lessons or ski club if they don't enjoy doing them.

Getting your child involved in too many activities could even cause unwanted stress; a 2007 study published in The High School Journal found that the more time adolescents spent in organized activities, the higher their anxiety levels were. Another study, included in a 2001 edition of Child Development, found that children who spent time engaged in hobbies at the age of 10 were less likely to be depressed, and they also tended to have better grades.

Children were also less depressed when they spent more time with their parents. Time spent at home hanging out as a family, or time spent exploring hobbies such as drawing, reading, or making crafts can, therefore, be beneficial for children. Choose one or perhaps two extracurricular activities at a time, but don't feel guilty if your child isn't involved in an organized event every day. By filling up the open days with hobbies, family time, or free play, you'll also free up some of your own time, since you won't be shuttling the kids to and from practices, lessons, and clubs every day.

Set an Early Bed-Time
The kids might resist going to bed, but getting them into the routine of going to bed early every night benefits them, and gives you time to breathe, too. Don't worry about trying to be the cool mom who lets the kids stay up as late as they want; it won't do them any good in the long run. In fact, a 2016 study in The Journal of Pediatrics found that preschoolers who went to bed after 9 p.m. were significantly more likely to become obese than preschoolers who went to bed before 8 p.m. were. Put the kids to bed, and enjoy some guilt-free time to yourself. Take some time to try out a new workout DVD, or catch up on your favorite TV show. You need some kid-free time to unwind, and the kids need plenty of sleep for proper growth and development.

Putting the kids to bed early is one way to make parenthood somewhat less stressful because even the best parents need time to themselves in the evening. Simplify life even further by making meal preparation easier and by allowing the kids to opt out of extracurricular activities that just don't interest them. You might think that you have to do it all to make your kids happy and prosperous, but in reality, having a calm, content mother benefits them more than organic dinners or guitar lessons ever could.

For more information you can view: Why Parents Should Also Volunteer In Community Services For Kids.