Wellbeing

Five tips to staying present with your children. 

Electronic devices are wonderful tools that are a source of great knowledge. You can use them to communicate with family and friends in other countries. The flipside to this technology is the hypnotic effect they can have upon us drawing our mind, focus and energy away from our children. Here are five tips that can help us to be present with our children and not miss those opportunities to have an impact upon their lives. 

1.  Build their language.

My wife has been leading mainly music in Nido Kindergartens and I have noticed my son's vocabulary greatly improved through practising new songs and activities at home and my four year old son attempts to replicate different sounds and words that she sings.   I  believe that this language development can be encouraged through a broad range of  activities and time spent with our children.  It never ceases to amaze me what my children hear when I don't even notice that they are listening. 

2.  Teach your children about their world. 

Children ask many questions about anything and everything. When parents use this is as an opportunity for their children to learn about their world, parents remain their children's first teacher. I believe that if a parent shows more interest in their devices, then the parent quickly loses this beautiful responsibility. 

3. Impact their thinking.

Nothing brakes down conversation more that a mobile device in someone's hand. There is no denying that there is two main ways to impact our children's thinking. The first is what we communicate to them in our speech.  Talking to our children is the fundamental way that a parent can impact the way their child thinks. The second is how they observe our lives. Do our words back up our actions...

4. Build relationships. 

Relationships are built through common interest, good intent and respectful behaviour. Quality time spent with your children is like investing money in the bank. You never know when you will need to make a withdrawal, and this may increase as they become teenagers. However, it is comforting to know that there will be plenty that can be withdrawn if you have taken the time investing in the relationship. 

5. Build memories for you.

Building memories for you is so important in keeping your mind and body simultaneously present when with your children. Eighteen years ago I learnt the importance of this when I was only allowed to see my children on weekends.  During the week I would talk to my children on the phone and take notes. I would talk about our conversation over the weekends when my children were in my care.  These memories helped build our relationship in a period of time where our relationship lacked momentum. Sometimes it was difficult with the amount of hours that I was working in my job, but the emotional and physical investment I made allowed a difficult transition more bearable when they came to live with me full time ten years later.