It is no great secret that in today’s era, hard work is an essential trait that one must have in order to keep up in this fast-paced world. As a matter of fact, some of the best international schools in the Philippines are teaching, promoting, and encouraging this trait to their students so that they are ready when they are put out into the real world.
Provided these facts, parents have been busier with their work – from answering the non-stop emails from clients, long meeting hours with their boss, to working late nights in the office – to sustain and maintain their family’s day-to-day life. As a result, the time that is intended for their family tends to be sacrificed – which leads to their children being distant to them.
Today, being a present parent is a constant struggle, most especially when you are trying to balance your professional life with your family life. Nevertheless, you continually strive to give your children undivided attention amidst your busy schedule; because by doing this, you can be sure that you and your children can build a deep relationship with each other.
In order to help you out in this endeavor, here are a few ways for you to remain connected and involved in your children’s lives:
1. Keep Away From Your Gadgets From Time to Time
It is undeniable that technology now has a larger presence in our lives since both children and parents are relying on it more than usual. The use of devices like smartphones and computers for information gathering and social media tend to make people feel more connected and updated about the lives of their friends and relatives. But despite all of this, it can also make people in close proximity to one another feel much more distant than they are.
One thing you could do to ensure that you and your children spend time religiously is keeping away from your gadgets every now and then. You could assign a specific time during the day to shut down all of your devices and have some quality time as a family. This could essentially help you connect with them more as well as be able to talk to them about things like school, friends, hobbies, and more.
2. Listen
While this may be something basic, parents tend to have lapses when it comes to interacting and responding to their children, particularly when they are busy. Not being able to respond properly to your kids may make them feel ignored and unimportant, which eventually would make them more distant to you.
To help you cope with this, it is ideal for you to be more mindful of your responses to your children. This could be as simple as smiling back at them, making eye contact when they have something to say, or by simply listening to what they have to share. Doing these things could ultimately help you in the process and could ensure that the interaction with your children is constant.
3. Set Aside Time Daily
During the course of a regular day, it is normal that you and your children would get busy with work and school respectively. This really takes a lot of your daily energy, which may cause all of you to interact less at home. Unfortunately, spending less time with your children may decrease your overall bond with each other as well.
For this reason, it is a good practice to set aside an ample amount of time to be with your children. If you are able, write it down in your personal schedule so that it can constantly remind you throughout the day.
Remember, being able to spend even just 15-30 minutes with your children will ensure that all of you can have quality interaction despite your busy schedules.
4. Do Things Together
One of the best practices that you could do to be more present in your children’s lives is to do some activities together. Keep in mind that they should be meaningful and enjoyable to help you foster a great relationship with your children.
Some good examples of these activities could be as simple as finding ways to make their schoolwork more interesting, walking the dog together, or even household activities such as cooking or baking. Being able to do things with one another not only helps strengthen your relationship, but they also help your kids improve and learn new skills that they could use at home and school.
5. Talk More
Casual conversations with your children may not be much at a glance, but in the long run, it helps develop their conversation skills as well as aid you in sharing valuable insights with one another.
Consistent and frequent conversations with them will ultimately help them connect with you even more and will also help their social skills when communicating with their friends and other family members.
Key Takeaway
Becoming a present parent at this time and age is a challenge – with so many tasks and distractions available in our daily lives – being able to connect with your children is now more important than ever. By considering these tips, you will not only spend more time with your children, but you will also help them gain new skills that they could use as they get older.
