4 ways to HAVE MORE FUN as a parent this weekend

Ceara Deno, MD • January 15, 2021
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You deserve SO MUCH FUN

You deserve SO MUCH FUN as a parent.  These are my top 4 tips so you can have MORE FUN.


1.) Get more sleep:


As someone who's worked overnights in the hospital for years, I can tell you, it's so much harder to have fun as a parent when you're tired. 


Everything is harder.  You take the things your kids do more personally.  You feel more resentful.  You start to feel like the world is out to get you.  Your sense of humor becomes crap.


That's not fun.  


Take that nap.  Go to bed earlier.  Stop working so many nights.  Trust me. 


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2.) Find a hobby, make time for it, and then make even more time for it:


YOU WERE FABULOUS BEFORE YOU HAD KIDS.  YOU STILL ARE. 


You were interesting, and fun, and talented. 


You still are.  It's just harder to believe it now, because your life seems to have shrunk around your child. 


You are either taking care of your child, thinking about taking care of your child, cleaning your house, or thinking about cleaning your house.  Stop it.


You deserve to have hobbies, and interests, and friends, and things you do ONLY FOR YOURSELF.


So do it already.  Find a hobby, make some time for it, and then make even more time for it.


Your kids are watching--you are their model--show them how great it is to be an adult and indulge yourself in things you like to do. 


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3.) Let more things go:


The next time you are tempted to say no--unless it's a safety issue--let it go.  Is it really that important?  Is it worth a battle?


The next time you are tempted to criticize your own parenting--unless it's a safety issue--give yourself a pass. Is it really that important?  Is it worth feeling guilty when you are such a caring, conscientious parent 99% of the time?


Your value is a parent is not based on what you do for your family.  Or on some weird standard of parental perfection.  You are inherently valuable just as you are. 


********* 


4.) Support and compliment your spouse/partner/coparents parenting:


I know, I know.  They don't parent the way you do. 


Sometimes they do it with less grace, or efficiency, or tidiness.  I know.


But there still must be something you could acknowledge them for.  You know how coaches give a "most improved player" award--there's great psychology around lifting someone up when their skills are still "underdeveloped."  Maybe that could apply?  Or just acknowledge the effort they gave?


Everyone wants to be acknowledged, and appreciated.  And parenting is one of the most unacknowledged, under appreciated job there is.  So a little appreciation goes a long way.  


Plus compliments and acknowledgement are contagious.  And they spread joy in the family. 


The more you can spread the joy by acknowledging the other parent, the more likely it will come back to you.


And that's great news.  Because you need some time to take that nap, and then do your hobbies.  Just for you. Because you deserve it.





By Ceara Deno, MD March 23, 2026
There’s something I’ve been noticing lately. Parents reach out. They start the conversation. They open the door to getting support. And then… hesitation. Not because they don’t care. Not because they don’t think this could help. But because something in them says: “Maybe now’s not the right time.” If that’s you, I want you to know—this is incredibly common. And it makes so much sense. Why It Feels So Hard to Start The parents I work with are thoughtful, committed, and deeply invested in their children. They are not avoiding the problem. They are overwhelmed. They’re already carrying so much: big emotions (their child’s and their own) daily power struggles constant second-guessing the quiet worry that they’re getting it wrong So when something new enters the picture—even something supportive—it can feel like: one more thing they don’t have the capacity for. Even if part of them knows it could help. The Part No One Says Out Loud Here’s the piece that often goes unspoken: Waiting doesn’t actually reduce the overwhelm. It usually just stretches it out. The same hard moments keep happening. The same patterns keep repeating. The same end-of-day feeling returns: “I don’t want to keep doing it like this.” It’s not just the idea of change that feels exhausting. It’s the experience of being stuck. A Different Way to Think About “Starting” A lot of parents think starting means: more effort more time more pressure But that’s not actually what support is meant to feel like. Starting isn’t about suddenly having more energy. It’s about not doing this alone anymore. It’s having someone: help you think clearly again understand your child in a deeper way guide you through the moments that currently feel overwhelming hold steady when things feel hard And often, that’s where the first sense of relief comes in. Not after everything is fixed. But the moment you realize: “I don’t have to carry this by myself anymore.” You Don’t Have to Wait Until It Gets Worse There’s a belief many parents carry—quietly—that they should wait. Wait until things are more serious. Wait until they feel more ready. Wait until they have more time or energy. But support isn’t something you earn by reaching a breaking point. You’re allowed to get help: in the middle of the struggle in the middle of the uncertainty in the middle of the hard days Not just when things fall apart. If You’re In That In-Between Space If part of you is thinking: “Something needs to change…” and another part of you feels hesitant… you’re not doing anything wrong. You’re human. And you don’t have to force yourself into a big decision today. But you might gently consider this: What if starting isn’t adding more to your plate… but finally taking something off of it? A Gentle Next Step If you’ve been circling the idea of getting support—going back and forth, telling yourself “maybe later”—this is just a gentle invitation. You don’t have to wait until things get worse. You don’t have to figure it all out alone. You’re allowed to get support now. If you want to talk it through, you can always reach out or schedule a call. No pressure—just a conversation about what might actually help. 🤍
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