Time With Me, Play Time

If there is only one thing you ever give your child, LOREN STOW says let it be TIME

- Loren Stow

Our greatest gift to our children does not cost any money. It doesn’t have a brand name, doesn’t light up and play music, or even take batteries. Our greatest gift to our children is to give of ourselves, our time, our knowledge, our love, and our legacy. The concept of ‘quality time’ is not a new one, and yet it is probably one of the hardest responsibilities to fulfil as a parent who works, pay bills, keeps the house running and generally keeps on top of life’s challenges. Add to these tasks the very important job of raising children, and time really becomes very precious.

The importance of spending time, one-on-one, with your children cannot be underestimated. The benefits for your children are so vast that the results of this gift can often be seen well into adulthood. Parenting is not an easy job, and it is sometimes easier to offer your children toys, gadgets and television to keep their little hands busy and their minds occupied. While toys are important and can help in the development of certain skills, the danger of taking this approach, of ‘buying’ their attention and appreciation, is that they become accustomed to this to the point where they cannot imagine that you have something valuable to offer, unless it is store bought.

One of the most important benefits of ‘quality time’ is that your child learns the value of relationships, of family, and of sharing time with others.