Have FUN with your KIDS!

Want to have a great time with your kids? I highly recommend spending individual time with each one, on a regular basis. Make it an important appointment on your calendar. If you've never made a point of doing this, you will be amazed how different your child is one-on-one. Without the need for competition with their sibling(s) and without response to their siblings influence, you will see a very different side to your child.

The time doesn't need to be anything extravagant, as a matter of fact, the simpler the better.
•Go for a walk
•Put a puzzle together
•Play a board game
•Read a book
•Play ball in the backyard
•Color pictures together
•Conduct an interview with the child
+ Ask open-ended questions (not “yes” or “no” questions) that require them to share their thoughts. For example:
-----Tell me about ____?
-----What is it like to _____?
-----What do you like best about school?
-----What do you want to be when you grow up?
-----Who is your best friend? What is your favorite thing to do with your friend?
+ Record their answers as a “snapshot” of what they’re like at this age.
You may want to consider putting together a scrapbook or keepsake journal for future reference.

These are just a few examples to try. I would like to say that it would be best to leave the TV, computer and any other electronic gadgets off. Focus on your relationship. Do things that draw out individual personalities. Have fun and ENJOY your child and the stage of life they're in. You will never regret it!

Your children will love it too. Let them help decide on something to do, perhaps offering 2-3 options to narrow down their choices. Ask them what things they like. Sometimes that means playing Chutes and Ladders over and over, but the thing to remember is that you are strengthening the bond between the two of you. It is the TIME you spend together that means the most, not necessarily the activity.

In the Disney/Pixar movie "UP", the boy (Russell) tells Mr. Fredrickson about going out for ice cream with his father and sitting on the curb, counting cars (Russell counts the blue ones, his father the red ones). Whoever counts the most, wins. He then says, "It might sound boring, but I think the boring stuff is the stuff I remember most." How profound. Keep it simple.

My husband and I make a point of taking our kids out for "breakfast dates" once a month. One month I'll take Josiah and he will take Gracie, the next month we switch. Our kids look forward to these "dates", knowing that they will get our undivided attention, which of course makes them feel very important and loved. And they are. I would also like to point out that although you are spending special time with them, that does not mean they are the boss. You still need to maintain boundaries, which will make your time together richer and more enjoyable (that is a whole topic by itself).

This message goes for grandparents too. Spend time with your grandchildren! They need your interaction and will gain a perspective on things that they might otherwise never learn. Don't ever feel like you don't have anything to offer. Grandparents are one of the most valuable links to the past. God placed you together as family for a reason and there are things you can and will learn from each other if you take the time. Your experiences will help build wisdom in them.
So go for it! Have fun! Build priceless memories together!

“Children are a gift from the Lord; they are a reward from him”.
-Psalm 127:3 (New Living Translation)