As a father of three – Anja, Aleksandar, and Andrej – weekends are not really for resting. They’re for living. Loudly.
This past weekend wasn’t about parties or concerts. It was about home. Real home life. Cleaning, cooking, laundry, organizing. The kind of things adults usually try to finish quickly while kids “stay out of the way.” In our house, they don’t stay out of the way. They’re part of it.
When we cook, everyone has a job. One grates cheese. One stirs the red sauce. One carefully lays out the lasagna sheets like it’s an engineering project. When we clean, Andrej stacks dishes, Aca vacuums seriously, and Anja walks around wiping the floor with wet wipes like she’s running quality control.
Laundry day? Anja “irons” with her small toy iron while mom uses the real one. Andrej carries the wet laundry basket. Aleksandar gathers the dry clothes. It’s noisy. It’s slow. Sometimes someone complains. But that’s how they learn responsibility — by doing.
Now, lets talk about screens.
Do we use them? Yes.Do we let them babysit our kids? No.
We use YouTube Kids with parental controls. No reels. No fast-cut chaos. No strange “brain rot” content that just flashes colors and noise and melts attention spans. If they watch something, it needs to have a story and some rhythm.
That’s why I stick to the classics:Tom and Jerry,Looney Tunes,Mickey Mouse,and old or newer 3D The Smurfs and cat from hihg society
Maximum two hours a day, usually while we’re finishing housework.
After we wrapped up everything at home, we decided to reward ourselves. We drove to Jasenovo, to the nearby Karaš River waterfall. Cold air. Running water. Kids throwing stones and exploring like little adventurers.
On the way back, snow started falling. By the time we reached home, the street was white. Instead of going to bed, we put jackets back on and went outside again. Night snow games. Snowballs. Laughter. Slipping. We stayed out until the municipal winter service came and cleared the road. The kids watched the snowplow like it was the most impressive machine ever built.
That’s childhood.
On other days electric car rides to the playground. Trampoline jumping. Big cardboard boxes turned into garages and houses. Anja adjusts to her brothers’ “boy games” like a champ.
Kids running, falling, arguing, making up. Social skills are built there. Not on a glowing screen.
And to the end of blog,lets talk about viruses who come with it. High fevers that go away and then return few days later. That’s the hard part.
We try to strengthen immunity naturally. In our kitchen there’s one shelf I’m proud of — carefully selected teas. Some in tea bags, some loose in paper bags: elderflower, lemon balm, chamomile, thyme, fennel, mullein. When mixed, they become our homemade virus shield. Next to them: goose fat, garlic, dates, honey.
But it’s not only about teas.
We also have a variety of fruits nearby. I would single out my favorites: kumquat, lemon, ginger and pineapple
But the most important thing is fresh air every day, even when it’s cold. Proper sleep whenever possible. Warm baths before bed. Not overheating the house. Layered clothing instead of sweating. Less sugar. More homemade soups. Almonds instead of chips. Dates instead of chocolate. Buckwheat pancakes with homemade plum jam instead of store sweets.
It doesn’t mean they never get sick. They do. But we try to build strong little bodies and strong little minds.
Are there better ways for kids to spend their time than screens?
For us — yes.
Teamwork. Nature. Night snow. Kitchen smells. Shared responsibilities.
And one small advantage of being a father of three: if I decide to relax for five minutes, I just say one sentence and I’ll have three cold cans of beer delivered from the fridge like premium room service. 😉
We’re tired. We have dark circles under our eyes.
But the house is loud. Warm. Alive.
Thanks for reading!I hope you like this father story!