#17 Make Time for Fun with Your Kids
“Piglet sidled up to Pooh from behind. "Pooh," he whispered.
"Yes, Piglet?"
"Nothing," said Piglet, taking Pooh's paw, "I just wanted to be sure of you."
– A.A. Milne
There will be times when you need to just chuck the schedules, the dishes, the chores, the play-dates aside, and go and spend time with just you and your kids. At the end of the day, that is all kids really want and need the most – your attention. And it's hard to give it to them in full measure when there are ninety-three other things to do in a day. So take time out, play hooky, or schedule an outing where you leave all distractions behind and simply go for a walk in the woods, a picnic, a trip to the zoo, or a museum, with just you and them.
I guarantee you will re-fill all of your reservoirs with time spent in each other's company, talking about life or estimating how many postage stamps it would take to encircle the world. You don't even have to go anywhere. Make Friday night pizza and movie night – making the pizza from scratch together.
Also, don't just come up with what you think would be a “constructive” or “educational” activity for you and your kids to do together. Meet him at his level and instead of trying for the umpteenth time to wrest the PS3 controller out of his hand, sit down and let him challenge you to a game of Battlefield 4. I have done this and I assure you I failed abysmally but we had fun and The Boy thoroughly enjoyed beating me and being far better at this than me.
I have found that parents of my generation waste far too much time, as I suppose our parents probably did too, bemoaning the nostalgia of the '70's and '80's and how grand life really was before cell phones, gaming, and the digital age. While newer does not always mean better, here's the news: kids growing up in the digital age need to learn how to navigate it and attempts by us to try to shoehorn them back to an analogue reality, is pointless and doesn't do anyone any favors in the long run. Embrace technology with your child and you can take the best that it has to offer, while helping him navigate his world. Done together, instead of continually fighting it, will make it more enjoyable for everyone along the way.