Whether you decide you want to become a parent, or you unexpectedly find out you are going to become a parent, the thought of being fully responsible for another life comes as a package deal of emotions. Expecting parents ride emotional rollercoasters ranging from feelings of overwhelming excitement to sheer horror. Being a parent entails much more than just raising a child.
As parents, we try our best to make sure that we make the best possible life for our children. We are responsible for not only physically raising them, but also instilling morals, goals, respect, manners and self-worth into them. Often as we should, we put our own wants and needs on the back burner to be sure that our children get everything they need to have a wonderful life. We do so while hoping the little things we do as a routine each and every day will help them to grow into wonderful individuals.
Sometimes, as parents, we also get so caught up in trying to make the best possible life for our children that we unintentionally do not spend as much time with them as we should. We often let ourselves get too caught up and over-work ourselves to make sure we have enough money for life’s essentials.
We, as parents, should do our best to set special time aside for our children. A helpful routine in your household is to put all electronics away and have family dinner at the dinner table. Talk about your day, listen to each other, and enjoy time spent together. Play a board game as a family, read your children a bedtime story, go outside, play a game of tag, take the dog for a walk as a family, go to the park... the family time list is limitless. All these ideas that may seem simple are necessary as we strive to raise our children to become the best possible people they can be.
You will not only feel better as a parent when you make special time for your children, you will also see and sense a feeling of happiness in your children. And as you know, this is one of the best feelings that parenthood can offer us.
My parents always made us feel important and like they wanted to spend time with us. It made a huge difference in our lives.