March 10, 2014

Spend Time With Kids, Not Money


"If you want your children to turn out well, spend twice as much time with them, and half as much money."
- Pauline Phillips

Spending time with kids is more important than spending money on them. There is no substitute for giving your children your full loving care and attention on a regular basis.

Schedule Regular Quality Time With Your Kids

It is important to schedule regular quality time with your kids. During this time give them the gift of your undivided attention, and love.

1) Brainstorm activities you both enjoy. During this stage think big - anything goes. You can decide on the practicality of suggestions later. Focus on activities not dependent on spending money. Quiet time is important, and there are many free things you can do together.

2) Make your schedule age appropriate:
  •  children (2 - 6 yrs old) a minimum of 10 min/day.
  •  youth (7 - 12 yrs old) a minimum of 30 min/week.
  •  teens/young adults (13 yrs and older) a minimum of 60 min/month.
3) Each scheduled visit select something doable from your list. This is time for parent and child only. Disconnect during the agreed upon time - turn off the phone and electronic gadgets. Don't answer the door if at home - you're busy.

4) Stick to your schedule. You can show your kids how important you think they are by making every effort to maintain your regular scheduled time together.

5) Enjoy each others company. Kids are great, and they will think you are too if you show them you have the time for them.


Too busy making a living, not enough time making a life.

4 comments:

  1. Thought this article was interesting. In this age of super busy-ness we now have digital distractions on top of it.
    http://well.blogs.nytimes.com/2014/03/10/parents-wired-to-distraction/

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Gam Kau,

      There are so many more distractions now. But I think that activities like gardening and being in nature continue to be interesting to kids despite the mesmerizing qualities of the digital world. I guess the challenge is convincing them that they will like it, and actually getting them out there.

      Thanks for leaving the interesting link.

      Delete
    2. I think the kids are happy to get out into the real world - it's the parents that can't unplug!

      Delete
  2. Now in modern world, both parents are working and therefore, it is getting even tougher to find time for children.It is The responsibility of good parents that spend quality time with kids and make them feel valued. By spending quality time, you can help your children grow into happy, responsible and confident adults with lots of love for their parents.

    ReplyDelete

Comments will be printed after moderation to eliminate spam. We are proudly a no buying, no selling website.

We enjoy reading all comments, and respond when time permits.

If you put a name to your comment we can all recognize you for your contribution.

Thank you for visiting and commenting.