I have no idea what the show was about, but it tied in with parenting some how. The statement that affected me went something like this…. The first 15 minutes and the last 15 minutes of your child’s day are the most important time that you can spend with them. He then went on to talk about how we as parents need to really stop and take advantage of this time with our kids.
Now, let me be honest here, Dr. Phil’s words have always been in the back of my mind as I drag my son out of bed in the morning or I am rushing my daughter into bed at night, but I regularly fail to actually put this idea into practice. So, while I am challenging you, please know, that I am also going to be challenging myself.
I have thought about how I can make this 30 minute window with my kids day sweeter. Here is what I came up with and I would love to hear your thoughts too….
I need to give this 30 minute time with my kids to God and pray about His spirit to lead me.
Second,
I need to be prepared. I cannot roll out of bed and rush through this special time or race through the day up until bed time. I have to set this time aside and make it happen… make it a priority in my day….make it special.
And third,
I can only do my best and know that each day will not go perfect, if I fail, there is always tomorrow.
God asks us to call to Him daily and crawl into His lap and share our thoughts, dreams, and desires with Him. Take that picture between you and God and turn that into you and your Children. I know this will not be easy because we are all so busy.
My husband leaves very early and I am getting our 2 kids up and out by myself each morning (like many of you) and at the end of the day we are rushing in the house at 9 pm and racing our daughter through the shower and into bed. Life gets crazy so this challenge will not be an easy one.
I have to admit another thing….my husband is great at spending that last 15 minutes if the day with the kids and I am usually so worried about them getting to bed that I rush him. I have been realizing that the time with Dad is so much greater then 15 minutes more of sleep. God, is showing me that I need to slow down, give up control and join in or at least back off and let my family bond in this special way.
Let’s commit together ….2 weeks of 15 minutes in the morning with our kids talking, connecting and praying. Then, the same at the end of the day. I think we will all be ready to make this a regular part of our day before the two weeks are over. I can only imagine the joy our kids will have when they realize they have our FULL attention—only focusing on them. Keep me posted on how is worked for your family.. just post at the end of this blog.
May your time be sweet with your kids!