When our kids were young, we took a parenting class. The MAIN point they taught was that parenting will go much more smoothly if the parent and child get a few minutes of quality time each day. It’s amazing how obedience and compliance goes up when a child gets to bond with their parent. And I think any couple would agree that low-stress bonding time together is essential for a marriage relationship to make it through all the stresses of life. You get that marital recharge when you take a vacation together. But it’s even more important to find ways to have that re-connect on a daily basis with your spouse. Life’s busy. This doesn’t have to take long. Even just a few minutes. It’s more about QUALITY than QUANTITY. Some basic guidelines for making it quality: 1. No distractions. Set down your phone and REALLY be together. Talk. Laugh. Have fun! 2. Do an activity THEY would love to do together, not necessarily what you would choose. So don’t count making dinner, doing homework, or paying bills together. Make sure it’s fun. 3. Let them lead out by doing things their way. For example, if I’m playing trains with my toddler son, I’m going to go with how he wants to make the track, and let him crash Thomas and Percy into each other as much as he wants. No friction from me. This is a perfect time to flood the relationship with positives, like we discussed in Challenge #2. If you want more ideas of fun things you could do together with a child, see my friend’s page @t10minutestogether. She can inspire you with all the researched benefits of quality time together with your child.
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