Making Time For Quality Time
If you are working parents, and chances are, you are, then you know just how difficult it can be in order to spend quality time with your child. Quality time is almost impossible, especially during the work-week, when you and your spouse are employed. So how can you make those precious few moments really count? Some simple tips are listed below.
- Make sure you have nothing else going on. It’s after dinner and you have all of these dirty dishes sitting in the sink and you have to still get your presentation ready for tomorrow’s meeting, so how can you possibly spend quality time with your child? First and foremost, surrender to the fact that you can’t do it all. At least not right now. Being that your child will be (hopefully) be going to bed at a reasonable hour, go ahead and wait to do those dishes. What about the presentation? It can wait too! Just knowing that you are officially putting those things off will help you to be “mentally” there for your child.
- Make bath-time catch-up-time. So it may not be possible to make every night a super-special moment right? Well in that case, make the mundane more fun and interesting. During times like bath-time, talk to your child. Ask them what they did all day, ask them what they hope to do tomorrow, etc.
- Have a night-time routine. If you have a night-time routine that is a staple in your household then your child will always see this as quality time spent. For example, if your child can not wait for reading a book before bed, then you know that this time can be the quality time spent. Don’t just rush through the story…. read it like you mean it. Even if it is the 50th time you’ve read it to them. They love that you do it and the love the way you do it.
Quality and quantity are thankfully not the same thing. Because, as previously stated, finding time in our hectic schedules for quality time may seem impossible. However, with the quick tips above, every moment you spend with your child, no matter how short a time, will be a special one.
