When I think about the amount of media my kids are exposed to in our culture today it makes my head spin. It’s really amazing to think that a kid today can pretty much go from day to day without any real “down time” from electronics. Cell phones today give young people a full blown multimedia experience right in their pockets. The “always connected” mentality lays a foundation for the years to come. When I think of the speed of our activities/schedules/technology it’s no wonder our children can’t just automatically hit the pause button when we are ready to connect. Dad/Mom: “…but, but, I scheduled some quality time in my super schedule!!!” Child: “sorry dad….excuse me for a sec….gotta take this!” Today, we have to schedule “quantity time” and make sure electronics are nowhere to be found and hope that “quality time” will occur as we do our best to work at it.
For years we spend time trying to run ourselves ragged while our kids beg for our time. Then when they are older we have no foundation from which to really engage them. It is so easy to overlook the amount of “suck it up” and “work” it takes to really invest properly in a relationship with your child.
Can you envision yourself able to grab an ice cream or drink and sit down on a bench in a silent area and just have fun talking? If not…why not? It is never too late to show your child you are trying to relate to him/her and want a relationship!!
Tue, Mar 17, 2009
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