There is so much to do in a day’s time—work, housekeeping, grocery shopping, errands, family responsibilities, the list could go on and on and for many of us, our daily lists are quite long and detailed. But, as parents, it is not just about what we are doing to keep our families functioning that counts, we actually need to spend uninterrupted time with EACH child—giving them our full, undivided attention.
With three children and living life as a single mom, I know the realities of how difficult it can be to connect with each child every day. Of course, there are those times when they are away at sleepovers or summer camp, or spending time with their other parent—but when we are all living in the same house, it can be easy to lose touch with each other. Or it is just as common to be parenting the entire pack—finding the time to just hunker down and connect with one child at a time and give each one my focused, undivided attention is really a challenge—but it is SO worth it!
So, what can you do? When my kids were tiny, bath time and gardening were great times to get one child aside and spend a little one-on-one, it gets more creative as they get older. Sometimes, just having them take turns helping me with dinner provides a good opportunity to spend some time catching up. Driving in the car is another time some parents are able to parlay into quality time—that is if you only have one child with you instead of an entire mini-van full!
Even if you life is busy, make it a priority to spend some undivided time with each child every day that you can. You relationship with your child will be the better for it and you’ll be able to keep up with what is going on for them, as well as send a very clear message that you are interested and involved.
See Also: Bonding is an Ongoing Process
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