We often find ourselves saying "I can't wait to get to...", "I hope this goes quickly" or "We need to hurry so we can...". I know these are common phrases around my house. And our time is precious, right? It is something that only we are able to place a price tag on. Now, how do you think your children value it?
Recently, Amazing Kidz Therapy hosted a Daddy/Daughter Mother/Son dance as a way to promote family time while raising money for a great cause. While we raised money for the cause I saw us raise something else. The value of the time we spend with our children. The value our CHILDREN place on that time.
I looked out over the room frequently to a sea of smiling, happy faces; both from the children and the adults. And it was not because they were getting tasks done on their to do lists or completing chores or finishing a project. It was not because they were full of treats (although the desserts were amazing!) or they had games to play or they were with their friend (in fact most children did not know any others there). The reason was simple; it was about the time they got together. That's it. They were spending uninterrupted time together, having fun and and making memories.
Trust me, I get it. Life happens and things need to get done. But I learned a valuable lesson that night: Plan for the just them time. Shut down the electronics, wait to complete the To Do lists, and just be there for them time. It does not have to be fancy; it can be 20 minutes in the park, a walk around the block or sitting at the dinner table as a family talking about the day with no phones allowed. Children value our time more than I believe we do and the satisfaction they receive from getting that time from us...priceless.
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