Labor Day is coming soon. Just another 3-day weekend, right? Not really. Three-day weekends are unique parenting opportunities, especially now during the pandemic. Unlike the usual overbooked experiences of a 2-day weekend, with soccer games, play dates, and a “to do” list of chores, 3-day weekends are bonus times for you and for your kids. If you do have Monday off, protect that time for family time. For “No Regrets Parentin”g time. Think twice about shipping the kids off to friends’ houses on these bonus Mondays. Think twice about scheduling golf or tennis with your buddies on these Mondays when your kids don’t have school and are less programmed than they are on other weekend days. If there are chores around the house, do them with your kids. If your plan is to sleep-in an extra 2 hours while the kids are watching TV, change your plan – sleep an extra hour (you’ve earned it), but spend an extra hour with the kids NOT watching TV.
There are 940 weekends between your little girl’s birth and the day she leaves for college or other young adult pursuits. Sounds like a lot, right? But if she’s 5 years old, you’ve already used up 260 of those weekends. And there are only 108 3-day weekends between your little boy’s birth and his graduation from high school. If he’s 5 years old, you’ve already used up 30 of those Mondays. Only 78 left! Any regrets about how you spent them? If you’re like most parents who think their kids are growing up too fast, you probably wish you could have some of those weekends back, the 2-day ones and the 3 -day ones. Sadly, you can’t. But you can make the most of the weekends that are left with your kids. And this Labor Day is the perfect place to start.
Of course, you may have to labor on Labor Day – your job may not let you take all 3-day weekends or federal holidays off. But, whichever days you do get off, spend them wisely.
What are you and your kids doing this “pandemic Labor Day?” Share your 3-day weekend ideas with comments on this post. And whatever you do, stay safe and healthy.