7 Tips to Better Nights for the Night Shift Parent
Raising kids and be hectic, let alone while working nights. When you work odd hours and have trouble getting enough sleep every day, it is a challenge to stay positive and in control of your own life, let alone take care of others.
While parenting and working the night shift might seem overwhelming right now, fortunately, there is hope!
Here are a few tips to keep in mind that will help you parent while working nights:
1. Establish a routine
Just like you need a consistent routine, children need routine in order to feel safe and comfortable in their environment. If they feel like their day-to-day home life is unpredictable or chaotic, they will be more likely to act out or become anxious and stressed.
Even though your family’s routine might look different than most, it is important that you provide a routine so that they can have some consistency. Creating this sense of normalcy will alleviate a lot of stress and hassle for both you and your children.
2. Schedule time together
When you work the night shift, it is easy for your schedule to get in the way of traditional family time. You might not be able to sit down and eat dinner together or have movie nights like other families where the parents work from 9–5.
However, there is nothing more important for building strong relationships with your children than spending quality time together.
Even if your family’s quality time looks different than it does for other families, schedule a set time for everyone to be together. If you get home around the same time your kids are waking up for school, make it a priority to to sit together as a family while they eat breakfast. In the afternoon when your kids come home from school, try to eat a snack together or go for a family walk or bike ride.
Regardless of the activities you choose to do together, it is crucial that you schedule time each day for the family to be together and that you are intentional with your time so that you are not distracted by work, television, or your phone.
3. Spend time on yourself
While taking some time to yourself might seem counterintuitive, it can make all the difference when it comes to parenting your children.
If you have ever flown on a plane before, you have likely heard a flight attendant say, “Put your own oxygen mask on before helping others” in the case of an emergency. You can’t help your fellow passengers if you run out of oxygen yourself!
This same idea is true when it comes to parenting. You cannot be the best possible parent to your kids if you aren’t taking care of yourself first.
While it can be hard to find the time and motivation in the afternoons to exercise, read, meditate, or work on your hobby before you go to your shift, doing so will make you a happier, healthier person, which will make it easier for you to parent.
It’s important to remember that spending time working on yourself is essential to becoming a better parent.
4. Practice honest communication
When it comes to maintaining healthy relationships with others, communication is key. This is especially important when you are trying to build strong relationships with your family.
If you need your kids to avoid louder chores or activities while you go to sleep in the morning or you want your kids to understand that they should not wake you until after a certain time, be open and honest with them about these needs and why it is so important for them to respect these boundaries.
When you are able to communicate your needs, it prevents bitterness, resentment, anger, and frustration, allowing you to have more peaceful days and nights.
5. Don’t be afraid to apologize
Many night shift workers struggle with insomnia or find it difficult to get quality sleep after work. When you work the night shift, it can be challenging to get adequate sleep each day, and this can start to take a toll on your mental health and your mood.
Unfortunately, there may be times when you are in a bad mood or are especially irritable due to a lack of sleep, and this can lead you to yell, be short-tempered, or make mistakes when interacting with your children.
While bad moods related to poor sleep might not be entirely your fault, they are also not your children’s fault. When you make a mistake, make sure you own up to it and apologize.
Being willing to say you’re sorry lets your children know that your behavior is not their fault, models good behavior for your children to follow in the future, and helps prevent rifts in your relationship.
Working the night shift can be tough, but your kids shouldn’t have to carry any of that load. Don’t be afraid to apologize when you miss the mark.
6. Practice gratitude
Practicing gratitude will help you become a better parent and a healthier person.
While working the night shift has unique challenges and obstacles, if you only focus on the negative aspects of this work, it will increase your frustration and anger, and it can have a negative impact on your relationship with your kids.
On the other hand, when you try to see the good in everything, from your job to your home to your family, you will be in a much better mood.
For instance, if you reflect on all of the different reasons why you are grateful for your children, it will be easier for you to have patience with them when they make a mistake, and you will be eager to spend time with them every day.
Try spending time each day writing down things you are grateful for in a notebook or journal.
Even better spend time with your children practicing gratitude. Ask them the best part of their day. Not only will you strengthen your relationship with them, but you will help them look for the positives in their day too.
Over time, you will notice that you have a more positive disposition, which will rub off on your family and color your interactions with your children.
7. Model good habits
When you work the night shift, you can start to develop some bad habits that your children might adopt.
If you drink a lot of caffeine before your shift or you always eat junk food or fast food when your shift is over, your kids will want to follow your example.
If you don’t make time to exercise or spend time outside because you are too tired each day, your kids will follow suit.
Remember that your kids watch your every move, so it is important for you to model the activities, habits, and behaviors that you want to see from them as they grow up.
Night Shift Nutrition is a community focused on living your best life, while working nights. We do this by sharing our experiences and science based educations. The point is to not only survive working nights but to thrive! If this sounds like something you’d like to be a part of you can apply to join our facebook group or subscribe to our email list.
