Parenting Young Children: Finding One-On-One Time With Your Kids

All the experts will tell you that you need to find quality time with each one of your children. Too often, the importance of spending time together is overlooked or written off by parents; I’m too busy, or I don’t have the time. It’s easy to “forget”; the kids have school, sports and other extracurricular activities, while parents have work, carpool and household duties to take care of.

As a mom of five children, I definitely understand how hard it is to find this one on one time with each child. I have noticed, though, that there is a huge difference in their daily behavior when they get personal time with Mommy or Daddy. This is why we make sure that each one of our children gets personal time with one or both of us on a regular basis.

One common misconception is that one on one time has to be something elaborate. This is why so many parents don’t spend quality time with each of their children. However, I have found that kids enjoy ANY time with their parents; it doesn’t matter what you end up doing.

Since there isn’t a pre-written parenting manual, I usually find what works best for my children through trial and error. I’m sure many of you do the same. Well, through my trial and error experiences, I have found that even the little things count.

My oldest daughter (she’s 15) and I like to go for walks with our dogs together. This is a great time to talk (especially if you have specific topics in mind) and get to know your child better.

My other kids love riding to the store with me. I was shocked the first time I took my normally quiet and shy 8-year old with me to the grocery store; she didn’t stop talking the entire time! You can learn so much from your children simply by singling them out and going for a drive.

Your undivided attention helps your child feel valued

Why is it so important to spend quality one-on-one time with our children? First of all, it lets them know that you value them as a person. This may sound corny, but it really does let them know that they are important to you; you care about what they think. Knowing that their thoughts and opinions are valued increases their self esteem.

So many of today’s children are into sex, drugs and illegal activities. Many of this could have been avoided by having personal time with their parents. Think about what most so-called “trouble teens” often say about their family life: either their parents were never around, or they just didn’t care.

Often, it’s not that the parents didn’t care, but rather they didn’t have the time to spend quality time with the child(ren). Make the effort to spend quality one-on-one time with each of your children, even if you’re only going to the grocery store. We all love our children, and it’s not hard to make sure they know it!

Copyright © Jennifer Hill

Jennifer is a work-at-home mother of five children. Her and her family of seven enjoy crafting, camping, homeschooling and more. You can find out more about them on their Large Family Blog.

This article may be reproduced with the complete author bio and a link back to http://www.lovingyourchild.com

Additional resources:

Yoga Parenting: More Joy, Less Stress – 8-week online course delivered via weekly email. Developed by veteran educator, certified YogaKids Instructor and experienced parents. High quality audio lessons, downloadable material, access to ongoing forum included.
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