Tomorrow I stop smoking, I start going to the gym, I stop eating badly, I keep reading that book that I have abandoned… and I start spending more time with the children. Of all these purposes that we adults usually have, the last one is undoubtedly the most important of all, since it affects what really matters in life, which are children. Today’s life makes us spend more and more time away from home as a result of long working hours, to the point that to be with the children we have to plan everything as if we were starting a regimen or had to go to the dentist.
Surely we agree that one of the personality traits that most influences personal, emotional and professional success in adulthood is self-esteem, a facet that is established in childhood. And one of the factors that most influence the development of a child’s self-esteem is the love of their parents . A child who does not feel physically and emotionally how important he is to his parents will hardly be able to build a strong personality full of love for himself and for others.
This type of current fatherhood and motherhood model, so busy, has little time for demonstrations of love, affection, or simply to endure a daily afternoon in the outdoor park or a lazy time at bedtime. And let’s not talk about what bath time means, moments of stress that should really be intimate and relaxed moments for the little ones and for the whole family. Everyday moments that, precisely, are a good part of what children need to connect and share with their parents.
Make good use of time to live happier
It is true that the rhythm of life is not usually a choice, and that it often leads to the dreaded charge of conscience on the part of parents who actually wish to spend all the time in the world with their little ones. However, it is true that the free time we have can be better managed and focus more on spending time with the little ones, which we can hardly fill with insubstantial gifts.
The sad reality is that time is unforgiving and that children grow, and that magical moment of childhood and that a child needs his parents does not go back, so it is necessary and very important to reflect on how we distribute and we enjoy family time.
On a psychological, emotional and social level, the presence of parents helps children to learn attitudes that only they can teach them by example, as even books cannot. The importance of having a family circle that cares, shares and lives is fundamental so that children, in the future, can repeat those same patterns in their lives.
Next, we suggest you take a questionnaire to find out if you are really spending enough time with the children at home. They are a series of questions selected from the book Let’s continue growing with our children (1999) by the Colombian writer Ángela Marulanda Gómez . Through your responses, which must be quick and agile, you will know if you really know those little beings who share (or should share) your life.
- What is the name of your son’s best friend?
- What does your child like and dislike eating the most?
- What is your child’s favorite character?
- What is your child’s favorite toy or thing?
- What school year is your child in and what is the name of his tutor?
- What is the name of your child’s favorite teacher?
- What subject of study is your child most interested in?
- What or what are the subjects that your child dislikes or costs the most?
- What is your child’s favorite hobby or activity?
- What is your child’s greatest ability or skill?
- What is your child afraid of?
- In what situations does your child feel very good?
- And in which ones do you feel vulnerable or bad?
- What does your child dislike most about himself?
- Do you know what your child admires the most about you?
- What kinds of topics does your child prefer to read or talk about?
- What has been the happiest moment in your child’s life?
- And the saddest moment in your child’s life?
- What activity does he like to do with you?
- Does your child know your job position, your profession, where you work, what you do at work?
- If you could stop time … at what point in your child’s life would you do it?
Regardless of the questionnaire as it came out, think that today you can begin to remedy and put an end to all those negative actions that we sometimes commit in life. Reflecting and knowing how to rectify will guarantee us double happiness!
