- Attend their special events. Whether it be a school play, soccer game, tumbling competition, karate or swimming meet, these events matter to your kids. Make it a priority to attend them- and try to be early. While there try to make eye contact when you are there so they know you are watching. Put that phone away and really enjoy these events.
- 5 Minute mornings/after school and bedtime routine. I’ve heard that the most important times to spend with your kids are the 5 minutes in the morning when they first see you, the 5 minutes after school when they see you and the last 5 minutes before bed. Are you on your phone or distracted at these times? Try to change and really look them in the eyes and talk with them. See if it makes any difference.
- Plan date nights. If you have more than 1 kid, then you’ll know how hard it is to spend 1 on 1 time with each kid. Pull out your calendar and schedule a date with your kids. This 1 on 1 time is so great to talk about life and see if there are any concerns they have or celebrate their triumphs. Kids love these special times. Be sure to put your phone away when you are on the date!
- Put your phone away. These days we do everything on our phones. We check our emails, text, calendar, social media and even do our work. Most days our phone usage is out of hand. When the kids are home and around you try to put your phone down and look at your kids in their eyes. Have a real conversation instead of you looking down at your phone and not fully looking at their cute faces.
- Eat dinner together as a family. I’ve heard so many people say how important and fun it is to have a family dinner each night. If you can’t do that because of your busy schedule, then maybe it’s time to simply your life and make this happen. Is there something you can do during the day so that you have your dinner time available for a meal together? Do you need to change the meal time so everyone can meet together? Meal times are a time when you can talk together as a family, siblings can laugh and catch up with each others’ day, parents can hear all of the triumphs and maybe some hard things. Make the time and you’ll see the rewards.
