The Gift of Time

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The majority of parents consider their children as the important things in their lives. So why are we having such a hard time finding quality time to spend with them? I recently read a report that parents are actually spending more time with their children as compared to fifty years ago. Mothers spend an average of 13 hour a week with their kids. Fathers spend an average of 6 hours a week with their children. I think that those numbers could be significantly increased with a little effort on our part, as parents. In today's busy world, parents are torn between work, running a household and raising their children. There are a multitude of other things that take away little chunks of our day as well. Long commutes, grocery shopping, balancing the checkbook, are just of few of these other things, I'm sure you could think of a few more off the top of your head. The problem is that these things take precious time away from our family life. It can be very difficult to find the time, and energy, at the end of a busy day to dedicate quality time to the kids. It is far too convenient to let the television entertain the children so you can get some stuff done around the house. As parents, we have the biggest impact on our children's lives. Our kids look to us for everything and then some, especially when they are young. Setting aside time for your kids can be the single most important thing you can do to raise healthy, happy kids. You may think it is impossible to do this every day, but there are some small things you can do which will make a big difference in your children's lives. First get them away from the television, then, include them in whatever you are doing, even in a small way. With a little planning, you will still be able to get your tasks accomplished and spend some time with the kids at the same time. What I like to do is to ask them to help me do something important for work. On occasion I need to bring some work home with me, so I plan ahead and prepare a series of assignments for my kids to help me with. Sometimes they are math questions and sometimes they are drawings and it's mostly borrowed from the school curriculum. I ask the teachers at their school for some advanced lesson material and they are more than happy to help out. I tell my kids that they could really help Dad if they worked on these assignments that I need for work. They are usually more than happy to help me get my work done. There are multiple benefits of this approach. The kids really get into it and have a lot of fun, all the while helping their education. I get some time to get my work finished and spend time with them at the same time (I let them work right along side me). I make sure to thank them for helping me get my work done and make a big deal out of the great work they do. The actually look forward to helping me finish my homework. This is an example of how I include my children into my schedule when I really don't have time. This technique can be easily incorporated into a variety of different daily tasks and can be modified for children of all ages. As your planning your day, think about ways to include your children into your schedule in ways you haven't before. It makes a huge difference to your kids and it will be fun for you too. The best gift you can give your child is you.