Joey and I have been going through an interesting transition the last couple of months. He's getting to the age where giving him a new toy to play with when he gets bored doesn't keep him entertained for long. I realized this a couple weeks ago, and I went through one of the many adjustments that I think all moms go through at some point - I realized I had to actually plan and prepare activities for us to do instead of just having free play all the time. I didn't (and still don't) want to have every single moment of the day scheduled, but it became very obvious that we needed more structure.
I borrowed a couple "toddler play idea" books from the library, and they gave me some good ideas for different activities to help him develop. I started praying for help in knowing how to be more intentional in my activities with Joey.
It's been a very positive experience. Joey seems happier - not only does he enjoy having specific activities to do, but I think he's also enjoying having my undivided attention. I'm a lot happier. I've discovered that when we had a lot of free time, I jumped to new "entertainment" at even the slightest sign of him losing interest because I was bored of what we were doing, so my day seemed slower because I ran out of ideas for things to do by the time his first nap rolled around. So now, my days go much faster. Joey and I are both happy when Neal gets home (most days) so we're able to spend enjoyable time together as a family before Joey goes to bed instead of Neal just picking up the pieces as I throw my hands up when he gets home.
I'm definitely not perfect at it, but being intentional by planning activities throughout the day has made a huge difference in both Joey's happiness and my happiness. So it's made me curious - what do you do to be "intentional" with your kids?
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