Many parents feel guilty because they don’t get to spend as much time with their children as they would like. We all know that spending time with our children is one of the most important things we can do, but jobs, and other commitments many times get in the way. The most important thing is to make as much time as possible and to make sure they time you have is quality.
It is great when a child shares the same interests as the parent, and this can make for some great experiences that will last a life time. Too many times we try to force our interests on our children and that can be frustrating for everyone involved. The trick is to find something both parent and child can enjoy and spend as much time as possible in that activity. Many times starting a child when they are young doing things the parent enjoys will install a love for that activity, but sometimes they just don’t have the same interests no matter how hard we try.
Children must be able to choose activities they enjoy and have time to develop their skills in that activity or at least spend time trying. All it takes sometimes is to watch the child when they have fee time and see what they do. Children are great at letting you know what they enjoy if you are observant. Most of the time they will be very honest about what they enjoy doing if they are just asked from time to time. It can be difficult to “fake” enjoying the activity, but sometimes if you just go along you will find out that it isn’t so bad, especially when you see your child having so much fun.
Most of the time kids don’t enjoy pressure that some parents place on them to excel. This pressure can sometimes turn an activity they enjoy to one they dread because they feel the pressure to perform at the level expected by the parent. Find things they enjoy and just let them have fun. Kids love spending time with parents and will sometime act like they are having fun just to please the parent. It takes a lot of observation to make sure the child is truly having fun. Laid back quality time can make memories that last forever and lets the child know their interest are valued. So go out and have a great time with the most important people in your life because they will be grown before you know it.