Mother Child Equation - Its All About The Quality
If you think you would rather be at home with your child, if that feels right, do that. However, if not-working is not an option for you, or if pursuing a career is important to you, you shouldn’t feel guilty. Research has shown that quality time spent with your child trumps quantity. Your child’s growth and development will depend on the socio-emotional support they receive and no matter how busy you are, you can have a positive impact on the same.
1. Establishing Rituals You can make dinners special by preparing their favourite meal on a specific day of the week, for example: Rajma on Wednesdays. Depending on your child’s age, try to involve them in the cooking process on this day. You could even read bedtime stories to them. Try not to rely on external help to feed your child or read to them.
2. Incorporate walks with your child into your routine Going for a walk with your child and make catching-up on each other’s day more interesting. Try not to have a destination in mind and let them lead the way. Listen to them as they talk, and if you’re feeling stressed or tired, talk to them. Children are more understanding and intuitive than parents may give them credit for.
3. Make your talks impactful
Using prompts as simple as “What made you laugh/smile/upset today?” can lead to extremely emotional conversations.
4. Make to-do lists
Having a list of tasks that need to be completed might help you avoid distractions. The way to get more time with your child is to learn to say no to the less important or necessary ones. This might be more difficult than it seems, especially in joint families, but sometimes you have to put your foot down.
5. No gadgets when you bond
Technology is a distraction. Watching your child as they play games on their phone, or multitasking between work emails or checking your social media and listening to your child act as a blocker for communication. Avoid watching TV as part of bonding as well. You don’t want either of you to get comfortable staring at screens instead of sharing your thoughts.
Although you may not get as much time as you would like with your children, you should ensure that each moment together counts. There’s plenty of evidence that activities like reading to your children can improve their outcomes later in life. As Barbara Johnson once said, “To be in your children’s memories tomorrow, you have to be in their lives today.”
