The article emphasizes the importance of one-on-one time with children, highlighting how such emotionally intimate interactions enhance their attachment and encourage sharing thoughts on various topics. Parents are encouraged to prioritize and plan these special moments, detailing ten strategies, such as scheduling time on a calendar, initiating breakfast outings, and engaging in bedtime reading. These activities not only foster connection but also provide children with guidance, affection, and affirmation, creating a lasting positive impact on their development and family relationships.
Make time together a priority. Kids grow up fast. When we look back on our parenting, we don't want to think, 'I wish I had spent more time with my kids.' Many parents have that regret.
A busy school superintendent and father of four showed me his appointment book. All the Saturday afternoons were reserved for time with his kids. He said: 'Each of my four kids gets a Saturday afternoon every month. We decide together what we're going to do. That's sacred time.'
When our first son John was 9, I became concerned that we didn't have much in common. So I began to take him out for breakfast on Saturday mornings. He's now a busy high school freshman so we don't do this as often, but I'm grateful to have a relationship where he talks with me—about school, girls, peer pressure, whatever.
With our own kids, we read picture books, and later chapter books, that combined a good story with a character theme. Talk about the parts of a book you most enjoyed.
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