Working parents and exercise
Emil Sitka, second from left, with the Three Stooges, from left, Shemp Howard, Larry Fine and Moe Howard. Credit: Handout via AP
It’s difficult enough finding time to exercise. Child care responsibilities make it even more so. Add in a son complaining that his working mother has been working a little too much lately, and suddenly that hour a day that she’s set aside for herself to be healthy and fit seems almost heartless.
OK, that Mom was me. And then I got an idea.
I asked my son if he would hang out with me while I rode the stationary bike, did situps and lifted weights. He didn’t seem too keen until I told him, “We can watch a DVD — your choice!”
His eyes lit up (Mom also doesn’t have tons of free time to watch DVDs with him).
He slid his best-of Three Stooges disc into the machine, and he decided to walk on the treadmill alongside me. I could tell how happy he was by the number of times he smiled and how he sneaked in a peck on the arm.
Working parents, if you have resolved to work out, how do you make it work? Do you ever feel guilty taking more time away from your child? And, if so, how do you handle that?
