When did sitting down become such a luxury?  There are several schools of thought on how to relax through the day with your children:  (1) if you’re married, try to trick your spouse into doing everything with the kids while you chill; (2) stay up very late and/or get up very early in the morning to maximize kid free time; (3) You don’t get to relax, you don’t get to sit down; or (4) brainwash yourself into contentment.

Number one is a recipe for an unhappy marriage.  Whether you get away with it or not, your life will still be miserable (except now with your spouse and your children).

Number two works.  But it can be very tiring.  Sometimes too tiring.  And what about the rest of the day when you are miserable?

Number three is the sad truth.  You simply will not find much time for relaxation when you’re on kid duty.  But what is truth really?  We don’t need no stinkin’ truth!! (It’s too depressing.)

Ahh Number 4.  Sweet ignorant bliss.  Or is it?  Seriously.  Do you have to be such a miserable person?  Are you really leading an agonizing life or are you simply agonizing about your wonderful blessed existence?  You could be in a foreign prison held as wrongly accused operative and tortured daily by lying on your back and chained to a board with a bag over your head while someone dumps water on your face (i.e. water boarding). 

Voice: “Will you tell us the secret plans of your government now!!” 
You: “But.. but… I don’t know any secret plans” 
Voice: “Then you will be subjected to more torture!!! ha ha ha ha” 
You: “Wait, wait, there is a secret plan… yes, umm, the U.S. planning to bomb Iran and North Korea… yeah and they’re going to steal Iranian oil and a secret Kimchi receipe… Please, I will tell you the secret plans.” 
Voice “Those are not the secret plans we are after--- more torture. ha ha ha ha ha!!”

So it’s all a matter of perspective.  The Buddhists speak of this concept as the four noble truths (very loosely paraphrased as follows):

1. Life means suffering.

2. The origin of suffering is wanting stuff.

3. The cessation of suffering may be obtained by not being so damn greedy for everything you want.

4. The path to the cessation of suffering is a long and gradual one that’s kind of a pain, because there is so much you want, you greedy, greedy person.

So how can you apply this to spending time with your kids?  Easy.  Get over yourself and your inflated worth about whatever you think you’re accomplishing by avoiding your kids.  Go spend some time with your kids.  Pretend you love spending time with them.  Pretend you like hearing them scream.  Embrace the “suffering.”  Stop being so greedy about your free time.  Pretend to be your vision of a good parent.  If you do, you’ll find that you might actually start to become a good parent.  More importantly, you will find your kids less annoying. 

Whether this is some noble truth or something you can use to brainwash yourself to get you through the day—either way it works.