EMPOWERING STUDENT WELLNESS

TIME

By Matt Edwards (Secondary Chaplain) 

Touted as the costliest form of loving, is one on one time. This is mostly likely because it can rudely make an imposition on our own time, hobbies, and sometimes, our rest.

I am sure that you have heard the old quip: ‘Its not about quantity time, but quality time’. But here’s the thing. As Regina says in Mean Girls, ‘Gretchen, stop trying to make ‘fetch’ happen!’ We can’t just make quality time happen. Rather, quality time is more likely to come up when we spend more time with our kids. And it makes sense, right? Our most important friendships are often the ones where we spend more time with those people.

Likewise, if we have a semi-regular time to spend with our kids individually, this will deepen the relationship we have with them and allow for more quality time to take place.

Why specifically one on one though? This focused attention on them makes it much easier to remove distractions and allows us to have a greater ability to listen. For instance, how soon do we glaze over when we have a conversation with someone, and they start talking about something we have no interest in? The aim is to connect with our kids, even if we have no interest in what they enjoy doing or talking about. It says, ‘You are of value to me, even if your hobby isn’t.’ And so we listen.

And this is where it can also take time to know how best to connect with our kids. I remember as a kid when I went to stay with my Grandparents. My Grandpa has a workshop in his backyard with lots of wood work and metal work tools. And he would show my brother and I how to use them, and guided us as we made things. I have a fond sentiment of that workshop. I feel that I had a freedom to learn and make mistakes there, and still be welcomed back.

There are no shortcuts with this stuff. We can think positively about spending money on things that we want. But how do we feel when we ‘spend’ time with our kids? Does it feel like a burden, or an inconvenience? I am sure that if this is your reflection, you do not want this to be the case. So I want to encourage you to re-consider this time as worthy spending and investing. Because, this is all part of the support structure that assists our kids with their mental wellbeing.

For more information that explores this topic please follow the below links:

https://bhcs.vic.schooltv.me/newsletter-external-resource/understanding-nurturing-and-connecting 

https://bhcs.vic.schooltv.me/newsletter-external-resource/connecting-big-kids-raised-resilient

WELLBEING RESOURCES

We know that it can sometimes be hard to find the necessary resources in relation to mental health, bullying and family violence, especially when things are tough. For this reason, the School has a small webpage with links related to health and wellbeing resources. This can be found on the School's website under Other Resources or can be found here.