It’s 7am. Time to get up, make coffee, and drive the kids to school. Into the office by 8:30am and work work work–as much as you can get done before you have to pick up the kids again! Quick, get them a snack, then continue the taxi service…soccer practice for Shane at 3pm and piano lessons for Becca at 3:30. Both kids are back home by 5pm and it’s time to get them started on their homework. Dinner is halfway done by 6pm and Daddy walks in the door fifteen minutes later. Cook it, plate it, serve it, and spaghetti and meatballs for dinner is a success. Clean the kitchen, save the leftovers, make sure kids have finished their homework…8pm rolls around and your day is almost done. Climb into bed, fold some laundry while you watch TV, then tuck everyone in by 9pm and FINALLY! Congratulations on a day well done. Now get some sleep so you can do it again tomorrow!
Sure, you may have seen and spoken to your children and husband throughout the day, but did you really spend time with them? It’s not a realistic goal to have strictly distraction-free quality time with each person in your family every single day. Unfortunately, life is just too busy! But it IS possible–not to mention quite beneficial for a family–to organize special days when you can make that happen.
"We time" is infinitely important. Studies have shown that a characteristic of strong families is that they hang out together! Spending some uninterrupted time with each other is what makes families bond and grow together. Without this special time, it is much easier to fall out of touch with your children, especially as they get older.
A key characteristic of "we time" is that it’s uninterrupted. Don’t let phone calls, cooking meals, work distractions, or TV shows take away from what could be a huge bonding moment for your family. It’s easiest to shed disruptions if you get out of the house. Take a hike, go on a drive, plan a movie and games night–anything will work as long as it’s age appropriate to your children and you and your partner will enjoy it as well.
Family outings, as you may have noticed, don’t just happen. As the head of the family, the mother needs to plan one and stick to the schedule once it’s on the calendar–no pushing it back! It may be a challenge to carve out a day in your planner when everyone (even–and especially–Daddy!) is free, but you’ll immediately see the results of your time spent together. If your day of bonding is successful, your children should be in joyful moods afterward, but the effect will last longer than just one day. Having "we time" regularly will help your kids to have a healthy and positive view of family life forever.
Parent-child relationships are undoubtedly one of the strongest attachments in our society, and you can nurture yours by having some much needed and deserved "we time". Regular bonding with the whole family leaves children with happy memories they’ll look back on fondly. Remember that kids grow up fast–don’t let them get away without a little "we time"!
Enter the Memorex "WeTime" contest for your chance to win the Memorex Signature Audio Series!
