Quality Time with Your Children

Spending time with your kids is probably the most important thing you can do if you’re a parent. The time you spend with them and the activities that you undertake together have a lasting impression on them as future adults and has profound impacts on the relationship you have with your children as well as the relationships that they will go on to have later in life. What happens when we are children echoes throughout the rest of our lives. Building and maintaining these relationships takes hard work and a lot of time and commitment. When we share experiences with the people in our lives, friends, family etc, we build foundations for those relationships. It is widely understood that humans are social creatures. This fact along with the fact that our child hood years determine the rest of our lives, leads us to the conclusion that being a parent and raising a child is more important than some people think.

How you relate to your child determines how they will relate to theirs. If there ever was an excuse to raise your child right, this would be it. The ability to communicate with others and interact on a social level all begins during childhood. These social skills will determine how well they will do in their lives from job interviews, friendships, business relationships to how they will teach their own kids to behave socially. The best way to instill these skills in your child is to practice them with them. What does this mean? Here are a few examples on maintaining a relationship with your child:

• Be involved. Whether you’re a mother or a father, being involved in your kids’ lives can take many forms. Going to their sports games, introducing them to musical instruments or even trying to get them interested in things that you’re interested in all go into the “getting involved” category.
• Activities. Being a home body is great but the world is not in books and on televisions, it’s out there *gestures to the window*.  Engaging in activities together not only brings you guys together, but it also affords opportunities to teach them important life lessons. Little things like clearing your yard of leaves, working on your car, building a bird house all contribute in the long run.
• Education. Helping them with homework and being there with them as they learn and explore the world is extremely important. If you’re not able to help them with your homework, roll up your sleeves and learn what they’re learning about so you can be more helpful and more involved in their education.

All in all, this shouldn’t be a chore. It’s a privilege to help shape the person that your child is becoming. It’s your job to make sure they don’t crash and burn and if they do, make sure you’re there to put out the fire or that they have the right knowledge and tools to put out the proverbial flames themselves. 

www.aboutthechildren.org

‹ Reconnecting With Your Kids

Child Custody in a Divorce ›

Tagged with: Child, Children Youth and Family, Early Childhood, Education, Family, Home, Parent, Social skills
Posted in Child Custody, Child Visitation, Children, Family, Parenting Plans, Parenting Tips, Raising Children