Parenting is tough business. Managing the lives of you and your child(ren) can be more than a notion. If you’re a working parent, life becomes quite interesting and you develop a lot of “character.”
One of the biggest challenges faced by both single parents and couples is how to spend quality time with their children. While there are lots of things you can do, I’ve listed three of the easiest and most effective ways you can connect with your child especially when there’s not enough time in the day.
1) Ask them how their day went. This simple question is powerful because it helps you maintain continuity of contact with your child(ren) every day. The question can spark a conversation that can be held when you are bathing them, cooking, or relaxing, which can deepen your relationship to them. If nothing remarkable happened that day or week, it’s OK. Enjoy the calm!
2) Spend an hour every other week with each child. Kids like to spend one-on-one time with their parents because it makes them feel special and builds up their self-esteem. It may seem like a lot of time, but it can be done. The easiest way is ask your child to come up with three things that you two can do together in one hour. You can even give them parameters on costs, location, etc. Kids love to research things and they come up with GREAT ideas, which saves you hours of time and mental energy!
3) Go out at least once a month as a family. Family time is really the best time to bond and stay abreast of each other’s lives. Planning an outing is pretty easy as you have the kids come up with some ideas of what they’d like to do. An easy and cost-effective family tradition for boys and girls is having family time around meal preparation. Kids enjoy sitting around the table helping prepare food and learning how to cook. Learning how to bake or make family recipes are usually a hit!
Remember, when it comes to your child, it’s the quality of time they get with you that matters, not quantity. While ideally, having dinner together every day is recommended, the reality for many working parents is they cannot be home for dinner. You can always tweak them and add new ones depending on what works for you, your family, and lifestyle.
Do you have any ideas or tips for parents who can’t keep up but want to spend more quality time with their kids? Please share them in our comments section so we can all grow and support one another. 
I hope this was helpful. I wish you and your children pleasant journeys!
Dr. Jinnie Cristerna is a psychotherapist, RoHun Doctor,
author, and national mental health expert located in Chicago, IL. Dr. Cristerna
works with talented and ambitious individuals, families, and corporations to
help them break through and heal psychological roadblocks limiting their
success. To learn more about Dr. Cristerna, go to www.HighAchiever.net
Read more on JetMag.com: http://www.jetmag.com/life/moment-of-clarity-life/three-ways-spend-quality-time-children/#ixzz4UNKnoW3u
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