Staying connected to your busy children Staying connected to your busy children When children are very young, it s easy for families to stay connected. Where Mom or Dad goes, the children must follow. But this begins to change as the grade school years lead to junior high and high school. Youngsters soon become involved in an unprecedented range and number of activities, such as music lessons, team sports, Scouts, dance, gymnastics, baton lessons, karate or ceramics classes, and church, library and park district activities.
Some parents feel more like taxi drivers than moms and dads.
While it s certainly important for kids to have a little downtime with their family, their activities and social commitments are important as well, for these play a vital role in psychological development. The challenge for parents lies in finding ways to maintain a strong emotional bond with children in spite of their infrequent availability. A standing family night is a solution in some homes, especially when children are younger. But as they grow and become busier, mandated family time often just doesn t work. In order to get everyone home on the same night, parents sometimes must resort to forcing the kids to forego an activity they might prefer, which usually breeds resentment rather than cooperation.