Creating Family Day Fun: Making Time for Your Kids
Author: Darin Doerflinger
Having family day fun with your kids and creating a special bond is the goal of most parents. Unfortunately, the business of life tends to get in the way. Have you heard yourself say to your son or daughter "I would love to play sweetie but I have laundry to do and dinner to make". Reality check! The times when they approach you to play are fantastic opportunities to forge the bond you always wanted, don't pass them up. Before you know it their focus will be on their friends, girlfriends or boyfriends and the business of becoming adults.
Setting your priorities so that the time you spend with your kids is at the top of your list is the first step. Begin from there and judge everything else by the simple question: Will my choice right now bring me closer to a satisfying relationship with my children? In the end, what difference does it make that you drove them to soccer, fed them every day, put clothes on their back, provided for them financially, if your relationship with them is distant and leaves you feeling left out of their lives.
The purpose of this article is to help you develop a strong parent-child relationship. We will do this by giving you some parenting tips to organize your time and provide for a good balance between the adult responsibilities we all face and the family day fun we all crave. Ultimately your success will be measured by the amount of information your children freely share with you in regards to the troubles they are having with friends, their feelings about how you are relating to them and the amount of hugs and cuddles they initiate.
So lets start with everyday time savers. Just a reminder, your reason for saving time needs to be creating more family fun time with your kids. If you follow these tips, save time, and then fill that saved time with more busy work then ask yourself that all-important question, re-prioritize and begin again. Hands full! Cleaning house today? Always have your hands full when moving from room to room or between the upstairs and the downstairs. Minimizing your trips putting things back in their place is simple ergonomics. Place items that need to go downstairs at the top of the stairs until you have a full load then make the trip downstairs. Turn 3 trips into one. Organize your kitchen. Spending half an hour now putting all the canned vegetables in together by type, the spices organized and in one place, the pans stacked by use, the items you use the most within easy reach and those you don't at the bottom of the pantry will cut your meal making time down considerably. This is how restaurants do it in order to maximize space and minimize the amount of time cooks and servers spend in preparation. Treat your kitchen like a commercial kitchen and your most of the way there! Actively recruit ride-share parents. Take the lead in finding responsible parents that will share ride responsibilities. Everyone is shy to a certain degree, so be forward and ask! Most likely the other parents are thinking the same thing but just don't feel sure enough to ask. Now here is the important part. Use the time you save to create time. Do the other things on your list while the kids are in transit. The goal is that when they get home, you are ready to spend time with them playing a board game or army men on the rug. Teach them to catch the fish! Depending on your child's age start training them to do chores around the house. Start off with something simple, like straightening the cushions on the couch or putting away the dishes from the just the top rack of the dishwasher. Then add the rest of the family room or the bottom half of the dishwasher. Remember, your training them so non-judgmental guidance is important. They need to trust that you are not going to get upset if they do it wrong. In the beginning this may slow you down but the payoff down the road will be huge. Not only are teaching life skills, you are also going to be taking things off your own list. Work as a team! Creating a team atmosphere is not just for the soccer or baseball field. If your kids know that youre the coach when it comes to tackling thee household responsibilities then your dealing with them in a framework they are already accustomed to. Before you begin the chores have a pre-game meeting outlining your goals and who has what responsibility. During your chores keep a close eye on their work but let them do it themselves. Correct them by the positive feedback-change needed-positive feedback routine. An example would be; Your making great progress in here, lets just make one small change and tuck in the corners of the sheets before we put the blanket on, I can tell your really trying hard so good job! Suddenly your five-hour household workday will turn in to a 3-hour workday. Plan your family day fun ahead of time. Let the kids know that this Saturday night or all day Sunday is the special time that they can look forward to then stick with it no matter what! Save your time, deposit it in the "bank" and spend it with your kids. The investment is priceless.About the Author:
The author, Darin Doerflinger, is the father of two children and the founder of FamilyDayFun.com, a web site built by Digital Velocity Studios to promote family bonding, strong parent/child relationships and a place to find products and services that are family oriented. Copyright 2010 Doerflinger Enterprises - Reprints Accepted - Two links must be active in the bio. Discover The Advantages Your Kids Can Get 5 Secrets Every Mother Should Know In Order To Prevent Decay In Her Children Why You Should Not Do Hypnotic Previous Lifestyle Regression Treatment (on Reason) " A TELEVISÃO E A FORMAÇÃO DA PERSONALIDADE " Choosing The Right Nh Health Insurance Policy For Your Family Or Company Reasons To Choose Cellulite Treatment Finding The Best Holiday Insurance For Elderly People Some Indicators Requiring A Person To Go To Alcohol Addiction Treatment Centers Mother's Change Stop Panic Attacks In Children Discover The Reasons Why Today Caring Home Facilities - A Checklist To Find The Best Nursing Home For Your Needs Residential Options for the Elderly State Lawmakers to Consider Expanding Child Health Coverage