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How much free time do you have?

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Re: How much free time do you have?

#91

Post by TeMPOraL »

redisman wrote: post #76
justAlittleCom wrote: post #46

what is "free time"? I consider doing most of those things on my "free time". When I go excercise, I have no obligation do to so, I do it on my "free time". If I had kid, I'd consider spending time with them as "free time with my kids". I dont like this pessimistic perception of time, and it's not mine. The only non free time I have, is the one I "owe" to my employer. And this time, I freely give it to him, and If I…

I have an infant and going to the gym or a run is about as free as it gets these days. It's a hobby so I don't understand how is that not "free time".

Not everyone considers physical activity interesting, or anything but a means to an end - healthy body and healthy mind. For me, any form of exercise is definitely work.

Re: How much free time do you have?

#92

Post by jobigoud »

Waterluvian wrote: post #27

Some feedback about the formula from a parent: The formula needs to account for the reality that with young children your "parental duties" expands to occupy all free time when kids are awake. And also shifts other chores into any free time slots when kids are asleep. Kids are asleep. Time to clean the kitchen, do the dishes, switch the laundry, cut some veggies for tomorrow's dinner, and then find somewhere softer t…

Parenting, except in the case of unwanted pregnancies, is a hobby. Culturally it has a sort of special status but in the end it's another hobby that one decides to commit to. It's a choice made that this is going to be your mostly exlusive hobby for the next several years.

Re: How much free time do you have?

#93

Post by kungtotte »

username90 wrote: post #88
dingaling wrote: post #60

Earlier quoted context omitted.

> If I had kid, I'd consider spending time with them as "free time with my kids" It's really not, though. Before parenthood I had all these romantic 'Swallows and Amazons' ideas about lazy summer days on riverbanks and meadows. In reality time with young kids is about mundane things like making meals, doing homework, playing what they want to play, trying to coax them to help with chores that you need to get done, fi…

> In reality time with young kids is about mundane things like making meals, doing homework, playing what they want to play, trying to coax them to help with chores that you need to get done, finding craft activities to deflect them from screen-time etc etc There is little evidence that any of those helps your kid, you do it because you want to not because it is needed.

There is little evidence that feeding and activating your kid is helping them? Homework? There's little evidence that your kid ought to do their homework?

Or did you zero in on the screen-time statement and really meant that there's not much evidence as to how damaging screen-time is for a kid?

Re: How much free time do you have?

#94

Post by jobigoud »

dingaling wrote: post #60
justAlittleCom wrote: post #46

what is "free time"? I consider doing most of those things on my "free time". When I go excercise, I have no obligation do to so, I do it on my "free time". If I had kid, I'd consider spending time with them as "free time with my kids". I dont like this pessimistic perception of time, and it's not mine. The only non free time I have, is the one I "owe" to my employer. And this time, I freely give it to him, and If I…

> If I had kid, I'd consider spending time with them as "free time with my kids" It's really not, though. Before parenthood I had all these romantic 'Swallows and Amazons' ideas about lazy summer days on riverbanks and meadows. In reality time with young kids is about mundane things like making meals, doing homework, playing what they want to play, trying to coax them to help with chores that you need to get done, fi…

It's still a conscious choice you made at the time. Maybe uninformed about the kind of commitment it was but still a choice to spend your free time for several years this way rather than learn to sculpt wood or build model cars or whatever.

Re: How much free time do you have?

#95

Post by kungtotte »

redisman wrote: post #76
justAlittleCom wrote: post #46

what is "free time"? I consider doing most of those things on my "free time". When I go excercise, I have no obligation do to so, I do it on my "free time". If I had kid, I'd consider spending time with them as "free time with my kids". I dont like this pessimistic perception of time, and it's not mine. The only non free time I have, is the one I "owe" to my employer. And this time, I freely give it to him, and If I…

I have an infant and going to the gym or a run is about as free as it gets these days. It's a hobby so I don't understand how is that not "free time".

So you think the only non-free time you have is when you're working, and possibly commuting? Nobody is paying you to sleep, so it should count as free time too, right?

It's pretty clear what the tool means by "free time". It's time not otherwise spent on activities that are either required or recommended for a healthy life.

Re: How much free time do you have?

#97

Post by kungtotte »

tristanstcyr wrote: post #11

I don't know if that's how free time works once you have kids. "Parental duties" takes the free time. You get some time when the kids sleep.

I have a three-year old. He comes home from daycare at 3pm and is asleep by 7:30, and I don't have to be in bed until 10pm to get my beauty sleep. You double-up on 'parenting time' and things like cleaning up and cooking dinner, but even if you didn't it's not hard to see how two people could divide the time between 3pm and 7:30 with uninterrupted 'parenting time' and still have lots of time left over to take care of obligations and yourself.

And that still leaves 2.5 hours after he goes to bed that you get to spend however you like.

I filled the form in and it tells me I have 11 hours of free time per week, that's with accounting for three hours of parenting per day (i.e not counting it double-booked with any other time, which is how you're really spending it).

People generally have more time available to them than they think, especially if they try to make more effective use of their time.

Re: How much free time do you have?

#98

Post by phreeza »

mruts wrote: post #37
cortesoft wrote: post #36

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Yeah, as a dad of 2 kids under 4, I ended up having negative free hours. I put 54 hours of parenting a week, because it is non stop on the weekends for about 12 hours a day, and 5 hours or so on weekdays (getting them up and ready for daycare in the morning, then playing, feeding and putting them down at night.) I do get some chores done during that time, which is probably how I am able to exist with what ends up bei…

I live in Tanzania and here any kid that is above the age of 2 has free rein to go wherever they want. Maybe it's not a better way (though I suspect it is), but it is certainly easier (assuming you don't have 8 children like most people here though).

In Zambia, and I suspect in Tanzania, too, four-year old siblings also already play a role in taking care of their smaller siblings.

Re: How much free time do you have?

#100

Post by thomaswang »

jobigoud wrote: post #96

In my probably unpopular opinion, parenting shouln'd be on the list. It's not a forced activity like sleeping or eating or commuting. It's a conscious choice people make between it and other hobbies.

Not a forced activity? Not a parent I suppose. It is as forced as work. You don't have to work just as you don't have to have a child.
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