Better things to do…I was recently next to a parent when I heard them tell their child “I’ve got better things to do than to help you with your homework all day.” The parent and child were at an indoor sporting facility attempting to work through homework while they waited for a sibling to finish their practice. Guess what the better thing to do was…Yep! Checking their facebook account. This parent voiced what many of us are showing with our responses to our children. What are your responses telling your child? There is no doubt about it… life with kids in tow is busy. Sports, work commitments, schoolwork, home projects and keeping up with our social lives all add to the hectic pace.
The bad news is… many times children play second fiddle to these other commitments and parents lash out saying… hurry up, get going, I have got better things to do as they rush their children from place to place.
The good news is children are resilient and need only the smallest portion of your time… 15 minutes playing catch in the backyard, 10 minutes reading their favorite book, 5 minutes connecting with them about their day, 1 minute consoling them when they are sick, 1 second to pat them on the back.
When looking at your to do list, could you add in small moments like this to your hectic day? Or do you have “better things to do?”