One of the biggest challenges of today’s time-pressed parents is having quality time with their children. Fostering a true connection with kids and family doesn’t always have to mean scaling back your work hours or stepping off the career fast track. Try these suggestions to stay connected:
- Hold weekly family meetings. Use them to schedule everyone’s activities for the week, from school meetings and athletic events to family outings. Give your kids a say on decisions; it makes them feel like an integral part of the family.
- Share your child’s interests. Yes, that means enduring their rap music on the family-room stereo. Get them subscriptions to magazines associated with their hobbies or activities, and commit to reading at least one kid-related article each month to stay abreast of their world.
- Share your work with them. Bring them to your workplace. Show them what you do and how your work relates to the entire organization. When you have a particular success at work, celebrate it with your family.
- Share your interests with them. For example, schedule a special time when the members of your foursome bring their families to the course (or some other fun event) for nine holes followed by a bite to eat. It’s a great way to let your children see how you play with your friends.
[Article first appeared in September, 2010 issue of Family Times.]
