Purposeful Parenting

As a busy business owner & mom, it can be challenging to balance the demands of work and family life. When my kids were younger, I remember always feeling guilty; guilty when I was working and not with my kids, and guilty when I was with my kids and not working. Talk about a double-edged sword.

Even though the phrase has been around for a while, I keep hearing “purposeful parenting” pop up. It intrigued me to look further into its true meaning. In some places, it’s referred to as “setting long-term goals for our kids and parenting ‘intentionally’ to help them reach those goals”. We all have ideas of what we want for our kids, but let’s face it, is it truly realistic to set goals for someone other than yourself?

Another “meaning” I found involves being intentional about the time and energy you invest in your children. It requires you to be present and engaged when you are with them, rather than simply going through the motions. This means putting away your phone and other distractions and focusing on building meaningful connections with your kids. This, I can get behind.

It’s so easy to be distracted these days, more so than ever before. As adults, we tend to create a life where we’re overcommitted, overscheduled, and overstimulated. This leads to our families becoming emotionally distanced, stressed, and ridden with anxiety. 

If there’s one lesson I’ve learned over the years of building a business and a family simultaneously, it’s that just like we need to have focused work time, we also need to have focused family time. I was also surprised to notice how many similarities there are between being the “boss” in our business and being the “boss” in our family. We like to think these are two different titles but when you really look at things, they’re not.

If you’re struggling with spending quality time with your family while also trying to build your business, here are 4 tips that can help you bridge the gap between being a boss in everyday life.

As a family, one way to practice purposeful parenting is to prioritize quality over quantity (not something we typically correlate when it comes to family time). While it’s tempting to spend every spare moment with our kids (and I typically did), it’s more important to make the time you do have count. This could mean carving out an hour each evening to read together (my personal favorite when they were young) or taking a weekend getaway to reconnect as a family. We used to camp a lot when my kids were young and they still remember those times today.

Another key aspect of purposeful parenting is setting boundaries. As a busy business owner, it can be all too easy to let work bleed into your personal life, which makes it feel like you’re always working. But, if you can set clear boundaries around when you are available and when you need to focus on your family, you can create a more sustainable work-life balance. This isn’t easy, but it sure does make a difference in the quality time you spend together. If we can block off time for meetings and events that are work-related, we can give ourselves permission to do this for our families too.

You can also involve your family in your work life when/if possible. This can help them to understand and appreciate the work you do, and can also create opportunities for them to learn new skills and gain valuable experiences. When my middle son was in high school and wanted to pick up extra work hours, I would have him help me make phone calls. My daughter used to do data entry work for me and my husband used to help create all of my spreadsheets & reports since he was an Excel whiz. Depending on your business, there are small things you can pass off to integrate your family into your business.

Finally, just like building a business, purposeful parenting requires you to be patient and flexible. There will be times when work demands require more of your time and attention, but by communicating openly with your family and being willing to adapt to changing circumstances, you can ensure that your family remains a priority.

Purposeful parenting is a powerful tool for busy business owners who want to create meaningful connections with their children & family without sacrificing their business. By prioritizing quality over quantity, setting boundaries, involving your family in your work life, and remaining patient and flexible throughout the process, you can build a strong and lasting bond with your kids while still achieving success in your business.