Being a parent is tough. This is the case whether you are on your own as a parent or part of a couple. There is no right way to parent, but there are things that you should avoid doing. One of these is that you should avoid missing out on time with them in favour of other things. It doesn’t matter if there is a big sports game on, there will be another. It doesn’t matter if your friends want to go out for a drink, there are other times. Your children should be your number one priority at all times, and in this article, we’re going to be taking a look at how you can be more involved with them. Keep reading if you would like to find out more.
Family Dinners
The first thing that we are going to say is that we recommend you have family dinners every single day. Your children should not be eating alone in the evenings as this is not only lonely, but it’s also bad for their development. You should all be sitting around the table as a family, bonding and talking about the day that you have had. For some people, family dinners might seem awfully inconvenient, but they are essential for a strong and stable family.
As your kids get older, there are going to be more evening meals missed as they will have extracurricular activities at school, or they are going to be at a friend’s house. It’s for this reason that you need to take advantage of this right now. If you’re not involved in their life right now, then you don’t have much of a hope of being included later down the line in the way that you want to be.
Play With Them
Playing with kids is a great way to be involved with them and bond with them. You can change it up so that you’re not constantly playing the same thing, as this is good for their development and your relationships. For example, you can play video games sometimes, sometimes you can go for board games, make-believe games, or any physical games that include running outside to ensure that they are getting exercise.
Playing with your kids is something that you should be doing anyway. But, if it’s not something that you’re used to, it’s really easy to do. Just sit down next to them and ask if they want to play and we all but guarantee you that they are going to jump up and choose something to do. It’s a beautiful thing to watch your child’s imagination run free.
Read With Them
Reading time is a fantastic way to be more involved with your children. This is the kind of thing that will give you an insight into the kind of things that they like, but also how they are doing with their schooling. Helping them to practice their reading is important, so you can take turns reading the book. If you read a few pages and then get them to read a few pages, you are reading together while also encouraging their verbal skills.
The more advanced they get, the more likely you are to progress to chapter books! You get to see this change, rather than a lot of parents who don’t know what their kids like to read. It might not seem like much, but we can assure you that it is.
Take Them Out
Do you take your kids out often? This could be to the park to run around or kick a ball around. It could be somewhere like a museum or a theme park or whatever else you want to do with them. The point of this is that you are spending time with your kids and being a present parent. Trust us when we say that kids would rather have a parent that gets it wrong sometimes but always shows up, over someone who doesn’t show up at all.
Plan fun days out for your family so that you are always doing something together. It doesn’t have to be expensive so don’t start to panic, as there are some basic things that you can do like going to the park, and going for a walk, or even just going to get some ice cream.
Learn With Them
Learning with your kids is another thing that you can do to become more involved with them. Taking an interest in their education and showing active curiosity is a fantastic idea. Parents should be involved in the education of their child anyway, but if you’re not at the moment then it’s not too late to start. You can maybe look into some things like math activities for preschoolers that you can do at home to give them a little boost in their learning.
Or, if you know that your kid is struggling in an area, you may want to find a way to make it more exciting to learn about. If your child isn’t getting something no matter how many times it’s explained, then you need to try a new way of explaining it.
Do What They Want To Do
If you want to be more involved in your children, then you need to learn about the things that they like to do. You can’t push your own likes and dislikes onto your children, even though a lot of parents try. This only leads to resentment down the line if they have ended up pursuing the things that you like, without being sure about whether or not they like it themselves. It’s for this reason that you want to encourage them to do the things that they want to do, and let them know that you will do them too. It’s nice to have a parent who is willing to do what you want to do, and they are going to appreciate this.
Be Supportive, Always
The last thing that we want to mention is that you should always be supportive, always. No matter what path in life your child takes, you need to be standing there at their side, supporting them. If you don’t, then they’re not going to let you be involved in their life, meaning that you are going to miss out on their successes and their failures equally. We know that you don’t want to miss out on things that could potentially be a huge part of their lives, so you need to take the time now to be supportive. If that means learning about a new sport, the internet is your friend. If it means learning to draw, you can do it. Or, it might just mean showing up when they need you and offering your silent support all other times.
We hope that you have found this article helpful, and now see some of the things that you can do to be more involved with your children. One of the biggest regrets that you are going to have in your life is if you don’t spend enough time with your children now. Later down the line, they are going to have entire lives of their own, and who knows when you’re going to get to see them? The most precious gift that you can give someone is your time, and that’s what we want you to keep in mind. We wish you the very best of luck with this and hope that you manage to become more involved in your children’s lives.