3 Powerful Habits To Create More Connection With Your Children

Here are 3 Powerful Habits To Create More Connection With Your Child.

As we all know, rasing a family and loving and taking care of our children is honestly what life is about.

Why do people work? To provide for their families, every thing we do centers around thriving homes and families. We as parents are raising the next generation to thrive.

The way we choose to parent will impact more than just our own children, it impacts our grandchildren, it impacts all who our children interact with during their life time. Hey! That is a lot of people!

Firstly, we are all learning to parent everyday…

Before, I toss these tips your way, I want to say this…

While these are all implemented in our family life. We are still learning all of the time, these should inspire you as you create family traditions that work for your family. I don’t want them to make you feel guilty, just inspired as you keep being the best parent your child needs.

When I started writing this, I considered just having tips that were quick and to the point. However, I feel this will be better as a series as I can give more details that could inspire you as a parent.

#1 Set Appointments And Stick With Them

As they say, you make time for what is most important to you. As we all know there are a lot of important things in life that calls for our time…

However, what is MOST important to you and your life?

When you say yes to something, you are saying no to something else! I always try to weigh out, what is the most important thing for me to say yes to as a parent and a spouse. For me, it always comes back to time!

Lets be honest, no one ever laid on their deathbed wishing they could go spend more money at the mall, fill out one more document, or take one more trip alone around the world… However, most if not all people on their deathbed, wish they could just spend one more moment with their loved ones.

So, create appointments and stick with them! These are some of the appointments we have created over time.

• Tea Time – for us, we have a tea time once a week with each child for about 45 minutes. This is something that I only do with our kids. I have since each of them were 3 years old. I cherish this time so much.
• To include my husband, because he isn’t with them as much as I am, we have a once a week date night. Each child rotates through Sunday nights, getting to hang out with us. We let them choose what they want to do with us and just really spend time getting to know them as an individual!
• Recently, with the construction we are doing, we have tried to give daddy a work buddy, someone he can hang with and they could work along side of him.
• We also have Friday night family time, we have done this since our kids were old enough to walk. At the end of a long week our kids look forward to this time. Our kids LOVE this, we will have a really special meal, snuggle up and watch an old clean classic. Or, we will play a game together, just whatever the mood is that family night.

#2 Have a Schedule: What our family week looks like at a glance

• Sunday, One of the children has a date night with mom and dad, after they all are rotated through the weeks, we do a family date night. We then start the rotation over again. Our kids are all protective over these times for each other and themselves.
• Sunday- Friday, each child has an assigned day. That day they have a tea time with me and are my sidekicks in the kitchen. This gives me an opportunity as their parent to get to know them as individuals. I can teach them how to cook and clean on their days too.
• Friday– This is family night, we ALL look forward to this day and it has been such a treasured time to us.
• Tuesday– This our date night, for years we have done a date night every single week. When we have walked through the cray cray of life, we have always been able to reconnect. I highly recommend this being a priority if you have a spouse. For years we did couch dates, put the kids to bed early and just sat on the couch. We still do this, we love it!
• If your relationship is strong, it fosters a strong family foundation. When your children are gone, it will be back to you and your person, make sure that relationship is fostered and fed, so that it can thrive when you are empty nesters.
• Saturday evening, we always spend the evening together before taking the week on. What we do on those evenings varies

Yes, this only gives my husband and I, Monday night and Thursday night free. That does not bother me at all though because one day, we will have every night free. There will be silence, there won’t be children needing or wanting our attention… They will be out living their purpose in the world and probably even loving on and raising their own families.

#3 Make meals around the table a priority

I remember watching I think it was a youtube video of a bunch of children being asked, if they could have anything they wanted from their parents what would it be?

The answers the children gave were so unexpected but, showed what our children need the most. The answers varied from, I wish they would play with me more, I just want to eat food at the table with them and I wish they spent more time with me.

They didn’t ask for any particular “material things” in this video, they just wanted to spend time with their parents.

Oh how we must remember, we can’t buy time, we can’t get it back. Moments vanish into memories, and time doesn’t stop.

Meals are a great way to squeeze more family time in while making the most of their childhood.

You don’t have to cook a gourmet meal every time either! Just whatever you choose to eat, eat it around the table!

We almost every meal ask everyone their highs and their lows and one thing they are thankful for.

That is always a great conversation starter and often brings lots of laughter with it.

We do have some rules that you are not allowed to laugh when someone is being serious, as it’s a time to share our hearts without being corrected. Our kids do really well at this, and I am definitely thankful for that. I expect them to respect each other in this way.

Now here are a few ways we get our kids involved in helping with meals around the table.

• Let them set the table, every meal is not an all set up perfect table. That being said, if my little girls are setting the table, a lot of times they like to put a table cloth and candles out. Is it always convenient to me? Mahh, not really… However, I choose to say yes most of the time, because it makes it special for them, and I love that!
• Have the kids work with you on making the meal, you are doing them a favor by letting them help you cook, even if it gets a little messier. You won’t look back and regret teaching them right along side of you.
• Let them see you look forward to it and truly enjoy hanging around that dinning room table with them. Let them see you genuinely want to be around them. They will love it just as much as you!

And remember, everything is better with food right?

If you enjoyed this post you may want to check the second one here. “5 MORE POWERFUL HABITS TO CREATE MORE CONNECTION WITH YOUR CHILDREN”

Only one life to offer,

~Andrea