Like most families these days we are busy.
Both parents work, my oldest daughter is involved in student council and art club, and my two youngest play softball (often at the same time on separate fields). There’s always someone to taxi here or there and we don’t get much down time together anymore.
But as it happened tonight, both games were rained out.
We had a leisurely dinner, which is very rare now-a-days.
We went around the table sharing our Good, Bad, Funny, Learning and Random Acts of Kindness.
(This is a routine we love, but have been cutting short when we have to rush out the door.)
At the very end of dinner my youngest son wanted to share with us a story he read at school.
It just so happened that it was my oldest daughter’s favorite story.
She went and got the book from the donation bin where she had put it just two days prior.
My middle child volunteered to read the story to us...
....and you know what?
We had time!
And not just some time, but a GREAT time!
It was a long story too, and it was absolutely wonderful that we could leave all of the dishes right where they sat and listen.
While my youngest sat in my lap, my middle proudly read us the tale; my oldest beaming over the fact that she still had the book to share with us.
As children get older and become more involved in their own things, it seems almost impossible to find the time to sit still and simply ‘be’ together.
As a previous home schooling mother, who hissed at over scheduled children and families I have now crossed over to the other side and learning how to balance and transition.
And as important as I may think is to allow and encourage your children to ‘get involved’, I still feel very strongly about spending time with your children somehow.
Whether it’s reading a story, watching a movie or talking about things that are going on in their lives, we need to look for opportunities to grab any free moment we can, and use it to bond as a family.
Tonight, instead of stealing bases, we were stealing moments; a little rain gave us the perfect chance.
And remember the story that came from my oldest daughter’s book, the one she recently decided to give away?
Well don’t you know it found its way back to her shelf?
'The best thing to spend on your children is your time.'
-Louise Hart quotes
Truly,Amber