4 Easy Tips Parents Can Use to Survive the Witching Hour

There’s a crazed time of the day right before dinner when most babies and children fall apart—wailing, whining, arguing behavior; you name it. Take charge of the witching hour by transitioning a stressful time of day into one that makes your family smile.

Don’t Survive; instead, Thrive The Witching Hour

Whether you’re a work-outside-the-home or stay-at-home parent, here are my four favorite tips that will help you survive and thrive during the dreaded witching hour.

Tip 1:  Transition Yourself First

If you’ve been on the go all day at the office or home, caring for kids non-stop, you may feel frazzled and work on near-empty patience as you approach the dinner hour. (It’s okay, you’re normal!)

In order to keep from losing your mind and your temper, you need to switch gears before dealing with your wired kids and making dinner.

Create unwinding rituals for yourself, such as listening to audiobooks on the way home from work or singing favorite songs to burn off stress and feel good. (Let loose, no one is listening except you!)

When I stayed home full-time with my eight kids, I would put in a 15-minute sing-a-long DVD at about 4:30 pm, allowing me to sit quietly in the kitchen and escape with a quick read. By the time the DVD was over, I felt refreshed and ready to handle dinner preparations and cranky kids. (A win/win for all!)

Whatever you choose, find something that helps you transition to being home and enjoying your kids.

Tip 2:  Connect and Show Affection

Once you are in your home, put your cell phone aside and:

• Grab a book and sit on the couch with your kids to cuddle and read for ten minutes.
• Get outside and walk the baby in the stroller or let your kids play outside before dinner, even if it’s in the dark with the porch light on.
• Play an action-packed game of Simon Says or Tag.
• Play Hide and Seek indoors while dinner is cooking.
• Play Beat the Clock. Set the kitchen timer for fifteen minutes and see how fast your kids can pick up their toys, clothes, and other items they’ve been playing with all day. Turn this into a contest and give out little prizes for winners. 
• Take the dog for a walk every day before dinner and try to find something with every letter in the alphabet along the way. Play I Spy for a fun twist.
• Grab some chalk and get creative in your driveway.

These activities don’t need to take a lot of time. Giving your children attention and affection will set the pace for a calmer evening. (And a Calmer you!)

If there’s something you really must do right away, ask your children to be helpers for any tasks that are age appropriate. This allows them to feel successful while giving you extra time to talk and laugh together.

Tip 3:  Create a Family Happy Hour or A Couple’s Happy Hour

Hunger is one of the biggest reasons my kids get cranky late in the day. (Think Hangry!) Dinner at our house is at 6 pm, which leaves a big gap between their after-school snack and dinner. 

When my oldest kids were toddlers, I created our “Family Happy Hour” with a similar atmosphere to a cocktail hour. The key was to change our regular snacks and juice to something fun and party-like with dollar store fun paper and plastic cups, straws, cocktail napkins, and themed paper plates I kept stocked in our house.

I would serve their juice, chocolate milk, frozen fruit slushies, appetizers like baby carrots and hummus, or ham and cheese roll-ups. They would giggle and go along like they were having a night out on the town. 

All these years later, we still have a family happy hour on a regular basis and play great music, drink out of fancy glassware, and unwind before homework and dinner.

For a Couple’s Happy Hour, one person can pick up takeout and the other dessert to surprise each other when meeting at home or hook up after you arrive after work and have fun creating apps, meals, and desserts while enjoying adult drinks of your choice. Cheers!

Plan ahead, so the ingredients are ready for this fun/romantic time.

Tip 4:  Reward Yourself

When nothing I did could calm my kids at the end of a long day, instead of losing my patience, I rewarded myself with something special just for me from my secret hiding place. 

I’ve kept a stash of my favorite things in a special box in my closet for years. It contains indulgences like chocolate, herbal tea, luxurious bubble bath, and even wine. I also bought fun things, wrapped them, and put them in my stash drawer to be surprised when I opened these treats months later. (nothing that can grow mold, of course! LOL)

Whatever makes you happy, treat yourself to something when you feel like you need to cast a spell to survive the transition between a crazy day and a cozy evening.

See Also: 5 Ways to Overcome Parenting Obstacles When Life’s Got You Down

How does your family manage the crazy end-of-day/witching hour? For more ideas, visit me on Instagram at CanCanMomCB or on Pinterest at theCanCanMom. If you have questions or suggestions, email me at cheryl@cancanmom.com or leave a comment in the box below.