The best gift you can give to anyone, including your family, is your time. Sometimes, parents are forced to spend very little time with their family due to work constraints and other responsibilities. But do you know that there are numerous benefits to spending time with your child? Bonding with your children is beneficial to you and to your little ones. Have a look at some reasons why you should spend time with your child.
We will highlight why you should carve out time to your family and how you can make it happen even if you are a busy parent.
Why should you spend time with your child?
Of course, there are several reasons! Quality family time is essential for the whole family. Here’s why you should make it a priority to hang out with your children:
1. Your child will learn how to make friends
Hanging out with your children can help them develop great social skills. The kids will enjoy your company and also take the lessons they learn back to their own friendships. Above all, they will learn the importance of making time for their own friends.
2. It opens a two-way communication channel between parents and their children
One of the important benefits of spending time with your child is that it builds trust between you and them. The kids will learn to talk to you about anything. Open communication lines have a role to play in your child’s safety. If you want your children to come to you first when they get into trouble or get hurt, you will have to regularly spend time with them.
3. It makes your family bond stronger
Your family ties will become stronger once you actively start trying to enjoy the benefits of sending time with your child. Coming together as a family and sharing your favourite hobbies, foods or having simple conversations will deepen the feeling of family intimacy.
4. It can improve your child’s sense of self-worth
When your child sees how eager you are to spend time with them, they will appreciate how much you value them. This feeling of acceptance and love is great for their self-esteem. Studies have shown that children who come from close-knit families have a higher sense of self-esteem than children who don’t enjoy that kind of familial closeness.
5. One good reason to spend time with your child is that it gives you an insight into their lives
Children can suffer from depression and other mental health issues, and most times, these issues can go undetected if the adults in the child’s life are not vigilant. Also, children who are being bullied rarely have the boldness to speak up and let and adult know what is going on with them. Then there is the issue of sexual or physical abuse, which can happen right under the parents’ nose.
The good news is that if you make it a habit to spend time with your children, it will be easier to spot when something isn’t right with them.
6. It encourages positive behaviours
Older children are at risk of succumbing to peer pressure and engaging in vices like underage drinking, smoking and drug abuse. It is harder for children from close knit families to fall for these vices, since they have loving and protective parents to guide them back to the right path.
Also, frequently eating meals with your children will teach them the value of proper nutrition.
7. Your children will become well-adjusted members of society
One of the benefits of spending time with your child is that it allows the child to grow up confident and well-adjusted. If you are interested in raising children who will make you proud wherever they go, then you need to start spending more time with them.
8. Children who spend a lot of time with their parents can perform well in school
If you are always around to help with homework and to discuss their progress in school, then it will be easy to identify the problem areas the child may be struggling with academically. Once you find out these areas, then it is possible to help them work towards improvement.
How to spend time with your child
- Reduce screen time by turning off phones and TVs
- Find a way to get your kids involved in your day to day activities, i.e. washing dishes or cleaning the house
- You can have family nights at least one night a week
- Plan to spend most weekends together
- Read to your child at night before bedtime
- Plan to have them around during school holidays: you should reduce the number of breaks they spend with relatives
Spending time together is beneficial for both parents and kids. The benefits listed in this article will strengthen your family bonds; but they will also help you raise emotionally-stable kids.
Resources: Goodtherapy.org
NHS
Telegraph.co.uk
Read Also: Parenting For Dummies: Useful Tips For The Accidental Parent
