We all love children irrespective of whether they are our own or whether they belong to someone else. However, how many of us actually show our love and affection by spending time with them? The kids may have all the things money can buy but they prefer spending time with their parents more than anything else.
If you are one of those busy parents who are burdened with all sorts of appointments and responsibilities that eat up your time, here are a few tips for spending time with the kids that will not cost a lot.
Involve kids in household work
Most of the time, children just want to be near you. So get them to help you with the household work. You may be preparing dinner or cleaning the house; get them to do small things depending on their ages and capabilities like carrying light (preferably unbreakable and inexpensive) items from one place to another or give them a duster to go around dusting.
You can also ask the kids to help with washing the vegetables, etc. I know, they make a mess and you will end up with double the chores but it will be worth it when you see how content they are.
Organize a weekend activity
You can, may be go on camping. Unless, you live in an apartment, you can have the camp set up in your own back yard. You may want to use something like a kerosene lantern instead of switching on all the garden lights to give an authentic look to the outing.
If the whole family can get away at the same time, going out for a movie will be great. But, in my opinion, it will be much more enjoyable if you can watch a movie at home snuggling together and munching dinner.
Once in a while you can also have a barbecue at home. Make sure to dig out that perfect cast iron cookware you have tucked in the kitchen to make the even more exiting. If the kids are quite small you can even make the event a pretend play. They will come up with all sorts of stories so you do not need to worry about the pretending.
Read a book at night
If you get home before the little ones fall asleep, you can read a book to them. I know, you will be dead tired after a day’s hard work and you will have piles of other tasks to be attended to at home but setting the time for reading will not only strengthen your bond with the kids but will also reduce stress so that you can go on with the rest of the work with a clearer mind.
You will soon find out how easy it is to relate to the kids and make them listen to you while being good citizens like you always wanted simply by spending some time with them.