We live in fast times where most people are trying to find the right balance between personal and professional life. People who are single have fewer responsibilities and fewer things to worry about. But once you get married and kids come after a few years, then your lifestyle is completely changed. A few decades ago, when life was simple and less complicated, parents love to spend most of the time with their kids whenever they got the chance. But unfortunately, in today’s world, we see many distractions and things that keep a person occupied, and important aspects of life are put aside and sometimes even completely ignored.
Every person has different responsibilities and different problems to deal with, but spending time with kids must be given priority; otherwise, the kids will not be able to develop their personality and certain traits. Since birth, the kids are dependent on the parents to fulfill their needs, which include giving them food and providing a healthy environment for them to grow.
You may have long duty hours or a demanding job and find yourself managing household errands on weekends, but still, you need to find time for yourself and your family; otherwise, you will be living a mechanical life, which leads to anxiety and depression. Many of us think that we have breakfast with kids, take the kids to school and bring them back, and watch television with them occasionally, which amounts to spending time with kids but not ‘Quality time.’
Experts suggest that ‘quality time’ means taking out special time for your kids amid all your hectic schedules and make the kids realize that you care for them and want to pay special attention to their happiness and good upbringing. Even an hour spent with utmost joy and love with kids is better than spending hours quietly watching a movie together.
Spending quality time with kids means allowing the kids to indulge in things they love and then participate with the kids, which not gets a few laughs, but the kids also get to learn many things. You can take the kids for fishing or play the favorite board game with kids on a rainy day. Reading a story at night time is probably the oldest but still the most effective way to gain the trust and love of your children. For kids who are still growing and learning numerous things, most of the things feel alien to them, and the parents mean the world to them and a symbol of love, safety, and belonging.
The time we spend with our kids alters as the kids grow up from babies to children, and then teenagers, and then when they become mature. When the kids are aged are between 5 to 12 years, it is easier to manage the relationship, but once the kids reach teenage, it starts to become difficult as, by that time, the kids have a good perspective of things and can assert their own will and take decisions.
Teenage is the most crucial time for a person as grows up from being a kid, and parents need to spend time with their teenage children. The time from thirteen to nineteen is what will define the personality and characteristics of a kid and shape his adult life. Adolescence is a bit confusing stage for a child as most of the motor skills, language skills, and thinking skills have pretty much developed, but still, there is uncertainty on the result of their thoughts and action.
The parent-teen relationship is a critical stage in the development of a kid, whether it’s a boy or girl, and parents may think they are doing everything best they can, but still, they need to review their steps. Some of the common things that every parent notices with their teenage kids are regular arguments, misunderstandings, and decisions that are taken in the heat of the moment. Many parents may think about what is happening to their sweet child and try to manage the relationship, but the first step is to think everything from the perspective of their kid and notice how the kids may perceive the things around them and what stress or problems the kid may be going through. Some of the effective ways that parents must implement to strengthen the relationship with their teenage kids are
Show love on a daily basis
Parents become so engrossed with their routine mechanical life that some of the things start to fade away in the background slowly, and one of them is giving hugs and showing love to your kid. It is common than when kids grow up; they become reluctant to hug their parents, particularly in front of their friends. But studies have shown that hugs can relieve stress instantly for both the kid and the parent.
Leave the technological devices for sometime
One of the basis of a healthy relationship between a parent and the kids is having the ability to interact easily. Many parents may believe that they give time to their kids and avoid any interaction for a little while, but parent and teen communication is necessary all the time. In today’s world, there are so many distractions that, in an argument, both the parents and the kids have a chance to keep themselves occupied with their smartphones, gaming consoles, or laptops and completely avoid resolving the issues.
Discuss the plans and dreams of your kid
The teenage stage is when the kid realizes who he/she wants to be and how their future lifestyle is going to be. Parents are advised not to impose their own opinions but politely, lay down options for their kids and encourage them in the decision they want to take regarding their future endeavors. Many of the parents want their kids to follow their footsteps, but the kids must also be given a chance to live their life according to their own terms as well.
In the teenage stage, the kids also like to spend time with their friends and start to move in the direction of living an independent life, and the close proximity with their parents is somewhat lost. But parents must take out time and spend quality time with their kids by taking them out for dinner or planning a vacation trip every once in a while.
Author Bio:
Erin Keller is the mother of three boys aged 1 four, 1 three, 1 one, and 1 girl four years old. She currently
resides in Fairfield but was brought up in Cincinnati, Ohio, where she also completed her B.A. in Business Economics in 2003. Erin has been very involved with her kids, trying to balance work and life since 2011. Her experience with her kids provided her exciting content for her blog. The blog is Erin’s passion and an ongoing effort of a mom with four kids.