September 14, 2012
Deuteronomy 11:18-21
18 Fix these words of mine in your hearts and minds; tie them as symbols on your hands and bind them on your foreheads. 19 Teach them to your children, talking about them when you sit at home and when you walk along the road, when you lie down and when you get up. 20 Write them on the doorframes of your houses and on your gates, 21 so that your days and the days of your children may be many in the land the Lord swore to give your ancestors, as many as the days that the heavens are above the earth.
The Importance Of Spending Time With Your Children
Quality time has been the buzzword of most parents today. In fact, most parents believe that if they have spent quality time with their children such as watching a movie together, going out to eat, strolling and other enjoyable activities, they have done enough. However, an hour a day is not just enough to be called “quality time” because it is quite small amount of time for an in depth bonding with your kids.
It is not the amount of time that makes spending quality time essential. It is where parents can express their love, care and support to their children. It is where a child can learn some significant values that will develop their personality. It is where children can say, “I had the best time mom or dad”.
What does quality time mean?
Spending quality time with kids is comprised of more than impressing them with amusing and expensive things. It is a time that you allocated with your kids without thinking your work or anything that will occupy even the small ration of your brain. It is reserving a time to your kids where he or she can improve or learn something like reading good books together, going to church, helping him with his homework, watching his favorite movies together, and other activities that your child considered it essential for him. Quality time is a time where both of you enjoys together.
Because of the economic instability, most parents today need to look for extra income in order to provide their family’s needs. This phenomenon is common that approximately 60% of families today have less time to spend with their children, which is an essential element of parenting.
Why is it important to spend time with your kids?
Let’s talk about the concept of time so that we will find out why is it necessary to spend quality time with your kids. In parenting, “Time is the most valuable thing that parents own”. However, most parents often stress the importance of spending “quality time” because most of our lives today are full of anxieties and we do not know that you have already pushed your kids to the bottom of the list. Most parents give them assurance sometimes that they will spend time with them, but they end up always putting them into their option list if not the bottom.
Children deserve the undivided attention for their maturation, own growth, self-esteem development and to make a parent-child relationship grow stronger and blossom. These are the fundamental reasons why parents must spend quality time with their children.
We have to bear in mind that spending quality time does not need to spend a lot of money or excessive amount of time. In fact, it is just putting away your own-to-do list and giving your undivided attention to your kids during play time or sitting beside them as they answer their homework or reading their favorite books together. These simple actions could mean a lot to them, and these are the perfect way to spend quality time with our children.
Additionally, spending quality time with our children helps establish a secure attachment with them. They will feel and realize that they are important to us, and they will not seek attention from others. They will know where they can get their attention so they will not look it from wrong people and places. They will be confident enough in their relationship with us, and so they will be assured to build new relationships with reputable people, as well.
Finally, children who spend quality time with their parents and nurture in a loving environment are likely to grow confident, well-adjusted and secure person. As parents, the quality time that we spend with our children is essential to help them reach their potential and grow as a happy and responsible individual.
How to spend quality time with your kids
Whether you belong to a traditional family, time is the most precious thing that you can give to your kids. Personal and emotional attachment to your children is more valuable than expensive toys or other tangible things. To help you strengthen your family bonding, here are some ideas on how to spend quality time with your kids.
- Story time with kids
Kids love fiction stories especially fairy tales and fables. Aside from bed time stories, you can find some books for your kids with large print and pictures where they can catch their attention and give them moral lessons. You can become a storyteller to your kids and one thing that catches their attention is to tell them a story with emotions.
- Watch with them their favorite TV program
Kids love to mimic what they hear and see, so you have to make sure that what they are watching can give wonderful lessons and improve their learning. You can let them watch Baby Einstein episodes, Barney and Friends and other educational programs. Watch with them, but you have to explain to them that they can only have maximum of 30mins because there’s another exciting activity that they will surely enjoy.
Note: Do not let your child spend more time on watching TV. It may lead him to lose his interest on other physical activities.
- Plan a picnic
Kids love to be outdoors with their family. They love to see lots of foods in the basket, have some games and fun. This is the best time where you can do some physical activities with your kids. You can plan to have your picnic to anyplace you want, or you can have a picnic at your backyard.
- Take a vacation
Summertime can be the best time to spend time with your family. Tend to spend more time to a new place aside from your home. Plan ahead a summer vacation so that your vacation will be worth remembering and enjoyable. There are lots of destinations where you can have your family getaway. You can hit the amusement parks, enjoy the beach and hike some hills.
- Spend the evening together
Nighttime can be the best time where you can talk with your kids about their whole day activities. It is also the best the time where you can discuss intimate topics where each one can share their thoughts.
- Eat together
Make mealtime a time for a family to gather together. Yes, mealtime is the best time where you can talk and share your whole day experience at school or work. It is a significant point in time where you can share your thoughts and give them some powerful words in the event that something went wrong.
- Helping your kids with their homework
One way to participate in your child’s education is checking his or her notes and homework. This is one way of knowing if your child performs well at school or he has some difficulties with his subjects. Set beside your kid and see how he answers his homework. If you think he is having a hard time doing his homework, you can help him do it. This time you need to have a study time with your child.
Spending time with your kids is the best component in parenting. Apart from the personal attachment that we are trying to invest, this is also beneficial in cultivating them to grow as confident, responsible, and happy kids. Working parents know the actual issue of spending quality and quantity of time. How many times do they need to spend time with their children to consider it a quality time? The key ingredient is to spend fun time together and reconnect with our children while giving up our to-do things. The above mentioned ways of spending time are just some of the numerous things that parents can do to spend quality time with our children. Important thing is that we will find that feeling of balance with our family life and fun together.
