Photo By Pink Sherbet Photography
Christi and I have full-time jobs outside the home. She teaches 8th grade science and I work with CityTeam to develop and manage online communities. Daughter just started 2nd grade today and Son, who is four, attends LaPetite.
Like any household with two working parents, we worry that we don’t spend enough time with our kids during the week. There are only so many hours in a day, we know, but we want to be involved with our kids rather than being present-but-absent parents.
There are a lot of ways to squeeze time with the kids into the moments between activities. I may write on some of those later. I would like to cover what I’ve identified as ‘Power Moments’ – moments that significantly impact your child’s outlook on the day.
Getting Ready
Getting ready for school may be one of the most hectic times during the day. Mom and Dad are trying to get ready for work while getting the kids ready for school. There are many opportunities for tempers to flare, snapping back and forth, and tears. Yet those morning moments set the tone and outlook of our children for the day.
To make the mornings easier, Christi and I established a routine. Both children know they have to get up, get completely dressed, and then they can watch cartoons while eating breakfast. Christi calls Daugher in to fix her hair when she is completely ready. I make sure Son has his asthma medicine. This routine make sure everyone is ready to go at the right time.
I take the children to school. I talk with them during the ride. I thank them for getting ready. I let them know I love them, and that I hope they have a wonderful day. When my children leave the car with smiles, I know the morning has gone well.
After School
The moments after school establish the tone for the evening. It is important that we take the time to ask the children about their day, like we talk about in this post. Since I get home first, I try to have dinner started so that hunger doesn’t make anyone snappy.
During the summer, we were lax about dinner times and eating at the table. This school year we are really going to focus on eating together and discussing the day.
I also hope to add a round of Uno to the evening.
Before Bed
Before I started traveling so much, I read to the children each night before bed. When I started traveling we got out of the habit. I hope to start back again now that we’ll have a more established schedule during the school year. Not only is reading with our children good for them academically, it also gives you an opportunity to interact with them as they react to the book. You can learn a lot about your children from listening to what characters they like in a story and why.
As we tuck the kids in bed, I try to make them laugh with me at least once. We let them know we love them and that we hope they sleep well.
Please don’t think Christi and I are perfect in any way. Some days we do really well with these ‘Power Moments.’ Some days we totally fail. We’re working on being better in these moments because we believe they’re important. We’ll let you know how it goes and what we learn as we go.
How do you connect with your children? Do you have ‘Power Moments’ that you’ve identified in your family?
{ 1 comment… read it below or add one }
While he was talking about marriage in particular, a counselor said there are twenty minutes in the day that are the most important: the first five after you both are awake, the last five before you go to work/school, the first five after you return, and the last five before you go to bed. These correspond to your suggestions.
Another noted that some research indicates our subconscious mind replays the last 30 minutes of our day eight times during the night, so having a calming and positive bedtime routine helps our children have restful and beneficial sleep. Once again, your ideas about reading and laughing at bedtime are wise.