Mindful in 5 Podcast

Childcare Hacks for Working Parents

• Spiwe Jefferson • Season 5 • Episode 179

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The summer months bring sunshine, outdoor adventures, and for working parents—the annual childcare puzzle. How do you maintain your professional responsibilities when camps are full, costs are soaring, and your usual childcare arrangements aren't available? You're not alone in this struggle, and there's hope beyond the traditional options.

This episode unpacks practical, creative solutions for working parents facing the summer childcare dilemma. These strategies help you expand your childcare options beyond what you might have imagined possible.

Beyond logistics, we dive into the transformative impact of mindfulness practices for both parents and children navigating irregular summer routines. Learn how simple techniques can help children self-regulate when emotions run high during transitions between different caregivers or environments. These portable tools not only create moments of calm amid summer chaos but equip your children with valuable life skills they can use anywhere, anytime—especially when you're not present.

The summer childcare journey doesn't need a perfect solution to be peaceful. By combining creative options, leaning into community connections, and weaving mindfulness throughout, you can create a summer experience that works for your whole family. 

Don't miss next week's episode on Financial Zen: managing those summer expenses without the stress!


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Spiwe Jefferson:

Welcome to the Mindful in 5 Summer Zen Series, your hub for thriving leaders. Here we will explore actionable insights to support resilience and success as we navigate the unique chaos of summer, and success as we navigate the unique chaos of summer. I'm Spiwe Jefferson, certified mindfulness practitioner, lawyer and author of the Mindful in 5 book series. I believe we all deserve a bit more balance and peace, especially when work and life get a little hectic. When work and life get a little hectic While you're enjoying the sunshine and this vibrant season, I'm excited to share insights and practices that can help you integrate mindfulness, balance, peace and a sense of purpose, whether summer's just beginning or winter's at your door. Grab a comfy spot and let's explore these practices together. Elevate your work, empower your life, work higher, live stronger. Let's go. Summer is in full swing in the Northern Hemisphere. How are you managing? Are you staring down a summer calendar and thinking this is hard? How am I going to keep my kids cared for and still get my work done If the usual child care options feel out of reach or just aren't working? You are not alone. Today's topic is child care hacks for working parents. Let's explore creative solutions to help you feel more supported and less stressed. Summer can be especially tough for working parents. Camps fill up, costs, soar and traditional child care isn't always a fit. Singita from the Mindful in 5 books knows this struggle well. Disowned by her dad and juggling family drama, she is helping her sister, selma with her three kids for the summer. Disowned by her dad and juggling family drama, she is helping her sister, selma with her three kids for the summer. Sengita learned the power of building a child care village even when family support is complicated. Our big idea for today is to give you creative solutions for working parents to augment whatever you're already doing. There are three ways that you can implement this idea. Number one mix and match your child care options. Don't feel boxed in by traditional daycare options. Don't feel boxed in by traditional daycare options.

Spiwe Jefferson:

Many families find success with a blend of choices Part-time summer school programs, au pairs, family members or trusted neighbors filling in the gaps. It's a great time to expose your kids to activities they might enjoy but don't have time for during the school year. When our kids were younger, their school offered week-long camps. So one week would be cooking camp, another week would be art camp, another week would be sports camp, another week would be music camp. You get the idea. It was great for mom and dad because our drop-off and pick-up routine stayed the same, even though we had to pay for morning and aftercare, but it was worth it. It also gave the kids an opportunity to experience a very different curriculum that was more fun and relaxed in the summer relaxed in the summer.

Spiwe Jefferson:

Some parents stagger work schedules to maximize coverage or swap play dates with other working parents. Sengita doesn't have kids, but she has a lot of neighbors with kids the same age as her two young nephews and niece. She introduces them to some of her neighbors and now the kids can enjoy visiting Aunt Singita because they have cool friends there. And this isn't just theoretical. This is actually exactly what my husband and I have been doing this summer to entertain our grandson, who's staying with us for part of the summer. We have a host of neighbors with kids who are in the same age range, and so we've introduced him to some of those kids and now he has a group of friends at our house that he absolutely enjoys playing with.

Spiwe Jefferson:

So consider doing this. Write down all the possible resources that you have Paid, family and community. Even a few hours from a neighbor can make a big difference. Idea number two Tap into community support. Sometimes your best resource is not a paid provider but your own network. Create a parent co-op, trade child care days or join local online groups to connect with others facing the same challenges. Faith-based summer programs like Vacation Bible School also offer great alternatives to not only entertain your kids but teach them values as well. So ask yourself who in my circle might be open to a child care swap or a shared solution.

Spiwe Jefferson:

Option number three mindfulness for you and your children. This is an underlying strategy for whatever you choose to do. When routines are patchworked, emotions can run high. Simple mindfulness practices like slow breathing, counting games or storytelling help kids self-regulate and bring calm to chaotic days. Bring calm to chaotic days.

Spiwe Jefferson:

Every morning, before her niece and nephews scamper off to their day's activities, sengita has them put their hand over their heart and practice box breathing Slowly, inhale to the count of four, hold it for the count of four, then exhale to the count of four, then exhale to the count of four. She has them repeat this three times and gives them a simple affirmation to say to themselves like I am calm or I am clear. She encourages them to practice this simple technique whenever they feel themselves getting agitated or overstimulated throughout the day. If they're embarrassed to do it at their desk, she tells them hey, go to the bathroom, sit in a stall for five minutes and do the box, breathing three times, and then recite in your mind your mantra. You can do it inside your head so nobody else can hear you. But give yourself the time and the space to reset and center yourself. Involving your children in these practices and sharing mindful moments with other caregivers can make transitions smoother for everyone.

Spiwe Jefferson:

When our kids were little, my husband and I had the same bedtime routine for them, and during that bedtime routine we would ask them if there's anything they wanted to talk about and reflect on.

Spiwe Jefferson:

We were teaching them the habit of introspection and we also wanted to create a safe space so that as they grew into teenage years and there were maybe more critical and difficult conversations that they would have liked to have, that this was a space where it always felt safe for them to ask things and to talk about things.

Spiwe Jefferson:

But it also gave them the opportunity to think about their day and if something went wrong at school, whatever it was, the teacher said something and I was upset, or they got into a fight with their friends. It gave us a chance to unpack that and think about what they could do to address whatever they were unhappy about, because, of course, you can't control other people, you can only control yourself, and so what I wanted to teach my kids is no matter what happens to you out there, you have the choice of how you respond to whatever that is, and so how are we going to respond to this thing that happened, that we did not like, and it was very helpful. Now they're older, they're out of the house and they are as adulting goes they're doing great.

Spiwe Jefferson:

They're figuring life out, but they're also using these skills that they learned when they were kids. Try teaching your child a calm down breath technique. It doesn't have to be box breathing, but anything. It could be just as simple as hold yourself in a self-hug and close your eyes and breathe. It could be just that simple.

Spiwe Jefferson:

All of these things are rooted in psychological, science-backed strategies that work for a whole variety of reasons we don't have time to get into today, but arm them with tools that they can use anywhere, in any environment, especially when you're not there. So, in conclusion, summer childcare doesn't have to be perfect to be peaceful. By mixing options, leaning on your community and weaving in mindfulness, you can feel more supported and resilient, even when plans change. You are not alone. Your village is bigger than you think. You are not alone. Your village is bigger than you think. What is one creative child care solution that you will try this summer?

Spiwe Jefferson:

You can send me a DM on LinkedIn, instagram or Facebook, or tag at mindful in five that's mindful I-N and the number five to share your hack. If this episode helped you, please rate and review and share it with someone who could use some new child care hacks for the summer. I invite you to learn more about Singita and her Mindful in 5 friends, as they have navigated the ups and downs of life, the dark, dawn and day season of life, by leveraging and harnessing the power of mindfulness meditation to achieve clarity and focus and reduce stress. Click on the link at the top of this episode for access to the Mindful in 5 series and pick up your copy on Amazon, and I would love it if you would rate it too. Okay, join us next time when we will be talking about financial zen, managing your summer expenses. This is very important. Until next week, this is Be Weigh saying be mindful and be well.

James@DiscovertheVoice:

Thank you for listening to Mindful in 5. If you enjoyed it, share it with a friend, follow and rate it on your favorite podcast platform. Pick up your signed copy of the book and journal from spiwejefferson. com, or unsigned copies from Amazon, Barnes and Noble or wherever you get your books. Visit spiwejefferson. com to download sample chapters of the book, watch videos and become a mindful ninja. Join us on the LinkedIn Mindful in 5 group and share your thoughts. Until next time, be mindful and be well.