I am tired of being the “mean” one. I make the kids do their homework, I make them do their jobs, I break up fights, I send them to time out, I take away privileges, I threaten, I make them hug when they are mean to each other, I make them clean their room (everyday), etc. I think you get the idea.
And my husband? He comes home from work and wrestles and plays with them until it is time to go to bed. So in an effort to be considered some what fun and nice I instituted a new tradition that my kids have named their “special day”.
Every Saturday I take one of the kids and we do some activity of their choice. The only stipulation is that is can’t cost a lot of money. We spend part of the day having some quality one on one time. We have been doing this for about a year now and I have to say I think it has improved my relationship with my kids.
Some of the things we have done are: ice cream cones at McDonald’s, the park, feeding the duck at the local pond, picnics, going up the canyon, visiting the “cowboy” store (Cal-Ranch), a trip to the local garden center, and catching butterflies with a butterfly net in the fields by Grandma’s house. My oldest boy is the first, then we take turns down the line. Pretty much whatever my oldest picks to do the others want to do for their day. So I have done some of those things 3 times!
It takes an effort to remember and to set aside the time to do it. But I would highly recommend it. My kids look forward to it and start planning their day weeks in advance. It gives us a chance to have some much needed one on one time where we can really talk. Sometimes we are just silly the whole time. I don’t think it matters what you do. The point is they feel valued because you took the time to be with them. I am still primarily the mean one, but at least now they know I CAN be fun!
I am so going to start this with my 3 year old. Since little brother came along we have lost a lot of our mom and son fun time. It is usually mom take the baby and Dad take Aiden. I love this plan to set aside one on one time! Thanks for the great way to make a memory Stacy!
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Oh and just in case you missed it, Alison over on Oopsey Daisy is doing a super fun summer camp series full of guest posters sharing ideas inspired by children’s books.
Guess who the guest was last Friday? Hmmm, you guessed it. ME! Grab yer mateys and walk the plank on over to see me ideas for a pirate play date! Here’s a sneak peak…
There’s a treasure trove of fun for yer little land lubbers where that came from so follow this map (aka link) to find a wealth of ideas.
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I do “dates” with my teenage kids about once a month or so (depending on their schedules). I let them pick what we do (within reason) and it’s so awesome, I really feel it keeps us closer than if we didn’t do it.
That’s a great idea. When you have babies they definitely take time away from the older one’s fun times!