Is making more time for your little ones a part of your new year resolutions for 2022? Truth is, there are many reasons why this should be one of your goals for the new year.
There are probably only a few things kids love more than getting love and attention from their parents. It can help create a healthy bond between parents and their children as much as it can also be a rewarding experience for both parties. The only problem is that most parents find it increasingly challenging to find and spend quality time with their kids.
Do you ask why? Here’s the answer;
In between our jobs, businesses, household chores, our kids’ extracurricular activities, and many of our everyday obligations, we find that we’re hardly left with enough time to spend with the children we’re raising. And on many occasions when we’re barely able to have dinner with the family, most of the modern gadgets and technologies that have crept into our lives often do not make a little time spent together worthwhile.
If you’ve been struggling to find enough time to spend together with your kids, 2022 should be the year you finally make it. There are enormous benefits in spending more time with your kids, and there are dangerous by-effects that can stem from not being there enough for these little ones.
Benefits of spending more time with your kids;
There are too many dangers of neglecting family time with your kids.
Aside from missing out on all of the above benefits and many more, there is a risk of a breakdown in family bonds that could push kids into over-dependence on social media, severe emotional distress, and a host of negative and anti-social behaviors. No one wants these for their kids!
More parents (especially women) today are working outside their families than at any time in history. There has been a gradual change in the family structure over the recent years so much that kids might be getting “short-changed” in the amount of time parents have to spend with them outside of work, business, and other obligations of everyday life. But if you’ve, however, decided to intentionally create more time to spend with your family this new year, the tips below will go a long way;
When you’re struggling to find time to spend with your kids, it’s crucial to ensure at least that you’re getting the best out of your already limited time.
The stress of work, among other things, might want to rob you of these precious little moments you’ve worked so hard to get with your little ones. It’s essential to always be there in that moment with your kids to listen to them and talk with them rather than letting your mind wander away hopelessly.
If finding more time to spend with your kids is proving too challenging, perhaps it might make sense to get them involved in your stuff – when possible.
Are you often fixing or repairing things around the house?
Perhaps you usually run some errands over the weekend?
Activities like these, as well as cleaning the kitchen or bathroom, or going for a walk, among others, can help you get positive and healthy interactions with your kids, especially if they show interest in some of the activities you’re often spending time on. This should, however, not be forced in cases where the child does not like such activities.
Americans and most of the rest of the world have a problem with driving.
While you might feel like driving your kids everywhere can be more convenient, going on a walk with them, however, might be a better decision sometimes.
The time spent walking together when you need to drop them off at their friend’s place or when they accompany you to the nearby store for groceries is priceless. Do these when possible, so you don’t lose more time with your kids in the name of “convenience.”
Most parents spend between two (2) to four (4) hours with their kids every day.
But if this can be challenging for your schedule, you might at least want to try spending at least fifteen (15) minutes one-on-one with each kid every day or at least three (3) times a week. This is especially fine for older kids who might not need as much attention from their parents as the younger ones. For these age groups, sitting down with them for these few minutes reviewing how their day went, discussing friend-related issues, and other similar discussions might make sense.
During weekends when you might have more time, you might want to schedule longer personal times with your kids than the regular short ones we recommended above for every day.
This can be in the form of dates with your kids, visits to parks, going grocery shopping, running errands together, etc. For this, you’ll want to dedicate some time to plan what makes sense the most for you and your kids with regards to the budget available to you, along with timing and logistics considerations.
During mealtime and in those precious little moments you spend with your little ones, endeavor to keep off anything that could distract you from the moment.
Everything from TV to electronics and gadgets should be off. During those precious moments, nothing should get in the way of your undivided attention with your little ones, not the news on the TV nor the emails from work.
If you’re already struggling to create time to spend with your bunch, then it’s crucial to ensure you’re getting the most out of the time you’ve got.
From turning off the TV and keeping gadgets away during mealtime to not allowing the “busyness” of life to distract you during those precious moments with your kids, you’ll find there are a lot of ways to make the little time with your little ones more enjoyable. These also include showering praises to reward good behaviors during your time together but never making your attention to them contingent on their good behavior.
Spending more time with your kids is almost always going to turn out a worthy investment. But you don’t have to allow the pressure to spend more time with your kids to stress your life even more. Start with scheduling little times with them (following the recommendations above), and you might have to try different routines to know what works best for your family. If you keep doing this, you’ll end up making all of your kids feel included in the family.
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