18 Ideas For A Good Time(r)

Do you ever feel like all you do is NAG, NAG, NAG? Well, it’s time to stop. All that nagging is contributing to the DRAMA in your family.

 

I’d like to introduce you to a very good friend of mine. His name is Buzz. Buzz, meet parents everywhere.

 

Buzz is awesome because he allows you to set a limit and follow through without being perceived as the “bad guy.” Buzz will help you enforce limits, so you won’t feel alone anymore.  He can go with you wherever you are and your kids won’t even seem to mind him tagging along setting all these limits. Best of all, Buzz can give you some time for yourself, too. Who is this amazing friend of mine named Buzz?

 

He is a kitchen timer.

 

There are at least 18 ways that a kitchen timer can be your friend, too.

 

To help with parenting, you can use it to:

1.    Set time limits on watching TV or playing on the computer.

2.    Help siblings learn to take turns.

3.    Let your kids know when it is time to get out of the bath.

4.    Remind little ones when to use the potty.

5.    See how much your kids can clean up before the timer goes off.

6.    Show your kids how long to brush their teeth (the recommended amount of time is 2 minutes).

7.    Let them know when dinner is ready.

8.    Set a time limit on dinner so it doesn’t drag on and on.

9.    Let your kids know when it is time to leave the house.

10.  Put aside a fixed amount of distraction-free time to spend playing with your child.

11.  Establish quiet time.

12.  Let your child know when her Time Out has ended.

13.  Help your child grasp the concept of time.

 

To help you personally, you can use it to:

14.  Give yourself some alone time. Even 5 or 10 minutes of solitude can be enough to rejuvenate you or calm you down.

15.  Get work done. Setting the timer can help you focus and get small tasks done more quickly.

16.  Exercise. Set the timer for 20 minutes and break a sweat!

17.  Organize.  If all you have is 15 minutes, then set your timer and focus on one pile of papers or one drawer. When the timer goes off, STOP.

18.  Limit your own time on the computer.

 

There are hundreds of attractive and amusing timers out there, though any kitchen timer will do. As I mentioned in a previous post, there are also visual timers like this one, so your kids can actually see when the time is running out.

 

Now, don’t try to do all 18 of these things at once. My suggestion is to print out this list and post it in a prominent place. Try 1 or 2 each day as they pertain to you and your family, and check them off as you do them. Then you can start to incorporate the ones that work into your daily routine.

 

Are you friends with your kitchen timer yet? What have you used it for and how was it helpful?  Please leave a comment below and share your story.