Medicine for Your Soul: Spending Quality Time With Your Children
“Not right now honey, Daddy is busy. Can you wait just one minute?” How many times have you heard this said to a child? How many times have you said this line yourself? One minute may not be much to you, but take a look at who you are telling this to. To your young child who is waiting patiently to spend time with their mommy or daddy, 1 minute can be eternity. Nothing is more important than your kids.
One of the reasons I left my 9-5 day job in an office was so I could work from my home office. In addition to this, I was able to set my own hours. This meant I could work my job around my family. Whenever my daughter has a school function, I can be there. Same goes for my son and his daycare. If they are doing something the parents can come to, I can go. I could feel myself getting teary eyed one day while at my daughter’s school. One of the moms told me how good of a parent I was, because she saw me at every function my daughter’s school had. It made me feel real good inside that she said that to me. It seems like I am working more now though, than I did when I had a 9-5 job.
Whether you work from home, or you work in an office, your children will still be the same. They still want your undivided attention. Many people tell me I have been blessed with two wonderful children. They are well behaved for the most part when we are out, and they can play quietly in their rooms while my wife and I are working. They are normal children though. They want mommy and daddy whenever they can get them. My kids, like so many others, don’t know that we are working all the time. They feel that Daddy is home, let’s play. I find myself many times uttering the phrase, “Wait a minute”. You know what though? It’s always longer than 1 minute, and don’t think my kids don’t remind me because they do. Children are smart, when that one minute is up, they let you know.
Children don’t want much though. They just want to know you are there for them and no matter what you are doing, you still love them. I see the look on my son or daughter’s face when I sit on the floor to play with them. It could be something as simple as reading them a story. They don’t care what we do, they are just happy to have their mommy or daddy’s attention. My children are as happy as a kid in a candy store when my wife and/or I play with them, even if it is just for five minutes. We can do a puzzle together, read a story, play a game or just sit and listen to them tell us about their day. You know what? It makes me feel good inside too. No matter what kind of day I have, I know just sitting down with my children for a few minutes makes all my problems go away for a while.
Many people have told me my children are ahead of their age. When my daughter was 3 she could say her ABC’s as well as recognize them. My daughter would know when the magnetic letters on the fridge were upside down, and in the wrong order. Both my kids could ride a bike without training wheels by the time they were three, and my 3 year old son even knows how to ride a skateboard. Both of them could also count to 10 before they started pre-school. Many people I talk to tell me that is because of all the attention my children get from my wife and me. You know what? I tend to agree.
I’m not trying to say that my kids are prefect little angels. Any parent that tells you that is living in a dream world. But my kids know that my wife and I love them very much, and we love spending time with them. We can learn so much from our children, and they can learn so much from us. All we have to do is sit down and listen to them. So many times we put them off because we are dealing with “Adult” things and they are just kids. I don’t care if you are paying bills, doing a little work you couldn’t finish at the office, talking to a friend on the phone, or whatever else you can think of. Nothing is more important than your children. Put that “adult” stuff aside for a few moments and spend some time with your kids. You both will be better for it, and you will be glad you did.
