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Why Entrusting Your Kids to Loved Ones Matters

Writer's picture: Work & PlayWork & Play

Updated: Feb 5, 2024


While there are too many parenting milestones to list, one of the big ones is entrusting the care of your little one to someone else. As moms ourselves, we remember those moments of cold sweat and racing hearts as we handed over our bundle to someone else! Whether it is in the first weeks or first years, considering stepping away from your kiddo has many benefits for you and your child. 


As parents, it’s natural to fall into the routine of caring and catering to your little one well into toddlerhood. While no one is like you, loved ones can offer an entirely different kind of love and care. If there is a cousin, sibling, grandparent, best friend, auntie or uncle that offers to care for your little one, why should you consider saying yes?


  • You can be YOU again - even if it’s for a short time. Is anyone really ever “ready” to turn over their whole life (basically) once that little one arrives? There is nothing that prepares you for it or compares to it. Parenthood is a literal GAME-CHANGER. So, if someone you trust offers some help, for any amount of time, consider what it would be like to dip your toe or fully dive back into reconnecting with your former self. Whether it is for a walk or a night away, it will provide something nothing else can in.


  • Your child will feel love and care from someone else. Even if school is way off, offering someone else to trust and care for them is a huge milestone for young children. Of course, they may not like it at first. They may ask for you and even cry for you. And yet, when you show them that they will be ok and you return so that life can go back to normalcy, you are allowing them an experience that will serve them for life. They can trust you and those you love. They will be ok and know that you will be back. No one is like you and that is ok.


  • Your loved one might shine in ways you never imagined. It’s an old story…the parent who was strict with you is lenient with your little one. The sister who cringes at a mess, is happy to have drippy ice cream with their niece. The cousin who avoids noise and crowds, dances and sings loudly with your kiddo. The best friend who laughs and cries tears of joy when your newborn spits up on them (true story for us!) Where there is joy and fun, there is connection, shared memories, and all the good stuff we hope for our children.


  • Connection is key in developing healthy, adjusted children who thrive. There is no denying that children who feel connected to and loved in their world will be ready to thrive in school, in friendships and in the world. When children have secure connections, they feel able to take risks, learn with curiosity and create with wonder. When we allow them to feel kindness from people other than us, we show them that the world is a loving place that embraces them. Whether you have a large or small family system truly doesn’t matter. It is the quality of relationships and connections that make all the difference as children develop in the early years.

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