Family Time: Making Time for Children

A parent's life is nothing if not hectic. The average parent is constantly on the go. You get up in the morning, fix breakfast, get the kids off to school, go to work, come home, get the kids off the bus or pick them up from school, fix dinner, run the kids to whatever sport or other recreational activity it is that they are involved with, come home, go back and pick them up, clean the house, and finally, get the kids to bed. Time is a very rare and valuable commodity to the average parent. It is not to be wasted, as there is so very little of it to spare.

However, as parents, you need to approach the concept of time carefully. You need to ask yourselves, "While I am out running around like crazy, whom are my kids learning about life from?" There are certain life-lessons that your children need to learn that will come from no other source but Mom and/or Dad. Of these lessons there is the importance of family, trust, open-mindedness, and social values, to name a few. If you don't teach your kids how to approach life, they will pick it up from others around them, regardless of how morally sound those sources might be.

Of course, it seems as if there just isn't any more time left to set aside for your children, as life demands so much. Nevertheless, there is time, if you plan your daily projects out properly. The family dinner is one of the prime times to spend with your children. Often, people spend this time talking to their spouses about financial issues, daily job problems, etc. Instead, talk to your spouse and plan on making the evening meal a time that is devoted entirely to the whole family including your children. Don't use this time to fuss at them about grades. Ask them about their time at school, and focus on the aspects of the school that they enjoy. Show some real interest and before you know it, they will come to you wanting to tell you about their experiences. Share your daily experiences with them and tell them what you learned while you ask them what they learned in school that could be applied to life.

Many parents make the mistake of thinking that quality time is time that is spent with children, regardless of the circumstances. The ride to school to drop our children off while you are talking on your cell phone is NOT quality time. Nor is the time spent in mall and electronic stores, or any other area that focuses on outside influences. Quality time is time spent focusing on your children's lives and building a good solid relationship with them, one where you can openly communicate and everyone is involved.

Someday, your children will be grown and leading busy lives of their own. Can you really expect them to invest time to come back and visit Mom and Dad if you do not make that same investment today? In the long run, you will find that it will not be a sacrifice, but a joy to spend that extra time with your family.