SB PARENTING
the value of
QUALITY TIME BY URSULA BRANTLEY
I
n a world full of careers, bills, extracurricular activities, home management, and a slew of other responsibilities, parents do their best to make sure they’re spending much needed quality time with their children.
It’s not always easy balancing life and parenthood, but consistent one-on-one time with your children is vital to their development. According to Our World in Data, a trusted source of information for publications such as The Wall Street Journal and institutions such as Oxford University, the amount of time that parents are spending with their children has been increasing over the last 50 years. When it comes to getting in that one-on-one time with children, the key things are consistency and undivided attention. That means disconnecting from devices and really focusing on one another. Quality Over Quantity Many parents feel guilty when various responsibilities cut into time with their children, but studies have shown that the quality of time parents spend matters more than the quantity. The National Association for the Education of Young Children, or NAEYC, reports that high quality time is what is most beneficial to children and has a positive effect on them as they grow. Having a weekly movie night, participating in a favorite activi-
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ty, or reading before bed are all great ways to connect.
Individual Time Strong child-parent relationships help build self-confidence, promotes positive behavior inside and outside the home, helps children with their academics, and strengthens the family bond. Children need quality time from both parents if that is an option for them. It’s true that many children are raised in single parent homes, but if they have access to both parents, it is crucial that they receive consistent quality time with each parent. According to Psychology Today, time alone with mom can be different from time alone with dad, and those differences reinforce the strengths that come from each of them. Small Gestures Time doesn’t always permit for certain activities or routines and that’s completely understandable. Something as small as leaving a note in your child’s lunch or telling jokes and sing-
