Give the most valuable gift to your child – Time
Any mindful parent will always have a
balanced approach when it comes to giving something to the child. We all assume
& misunderstand the actual requirements of our kids. Sometimes knowingly
& sometimes unknowingly we shift towards the materialistic aspect of
comfort & happiness when it comes to parenting. We actually miss the opportunity
to give true happiness & build a strong character for our kids. Somewhere
we all know that our kids are happiest when we are around them. Still, I wonder
why we falter in this department very often.
Why we shower them with gifts (not time)?
Both parents working & constant struggle
of getting quality family time is currently the ultimate urban reality. In
order to fill in the gap of presence parents often make the mistake of
showering their kids with gifts & things they actually may not need. Parents
often think that this will make their kids happy & will compensate for the
loss. In reality, this does more harm than doing any good. Kids grow up to
become more greedy, constantly dissatisfied with what they have, ungrateful for
the things & also opportunistic to a certain extent.
How to fix this?
Just like the school times we have a problem
statement ready i.e why we are not able to give time to our kids? Now rather
than sulking & complaining, we should work towards fixing this gap. We have
some simple yet effective tips for parents which might be their saviour.
·
Work to live; don’t live to work (Work-life Balance).
·
Make family time a daily routine (however small it is).
·
Daily ensure to have one meal together (TV & Gadgets
not allowed).
·
Wake up early & have a small (15 minutes) exercise
session with the family.
·
Don’t waste weekends in malls, instead play
indoor/outdoor games or watch a movie (at home) with family (Dine out to save
time).
·
Stay away from phones/gadgets inside the home.
·
Plan frequent vacations (every two months) in order to
unwind & relax with kids.
What will you achieve by fixing this?
The requirement of time is not just for the
kids. It is also the parent’s emotional need. We all are entangled in our
mundane lifestyle & keep searching happiness in superficial things around
us. One needs to really experience the magic of family time to feel the
difference in the level of happiness. Below are just a few of the wonderful
positive outcomes of spending time with kids.
·
Greater worth for true fulfillment
·
Unconditional family bonding
·
Mutual Respect
·
More time on hand for morale cultivation
I guess we have made it pretty simple to
understand that giving more time to kids will have nothing but a plethora of
benefits. Now it is up to you which choice you make?