I’m sure you’ve heard about date night with your husband and a lot of you regularly schedule girls nights out (or in). But have you considered a date with your child? With just one child, I can shower him with all my time and attention but when you have more than one child, you need to schedule regular time to have one on one alone time with each of your children.
In the September 2005 issue of ParentLife tips on scheduling a date with your kids are given. Here’s some of what they suggest:
(1) During your date, focus only on your child. This means turning off the cell phones and pagers.
(2) When planning activities for your date, keep in mind the age of the child and plan according.
(3) Plan an activity where you are doing something together like rock climbing or playing miniature golf.
(4) Don’t cancel the date, no matter what and don’t be late.
The article also points out that these times are a great opportunity to connect with your kids and a great time to make memories and share secrets. Most importantly, it’s a time to have fun and enjoy being with your child. It’s also a great time to tell jokes and share stories about what it was like growing up.
In the same issue, another article also talks about spending time one on one with your kids but from the perspective of father-child activities. The article points out that some fathers have the “herd” mentality. They feel if you are going to do an activity with one child, you may as well do one with the entire brood. But fathers need to realize the value of spending time alone with each child. Some suggestions for father-child activities include:
Bike rides, playing golf or racquetball.
Going for a drive.
Taking your child to any specialty store or event that focuses on their interest(like a trade show).
Having your son hang out with you while you work, run errands or doing something he wants to do.
Taking your daughter out to dinner or to a coffeehouse.
Both articles presented great ideas on how to connect with your kids one on one. What special things do you and your partner do to assure each of your children have time alone with mom or dad?
See also:
Can A Family Have Too Many Kids?