Recently I saw a mom do something amazing for her kids.
She just finished setting up a birthday party at the pool where I live. All of her kids were swimming and they begged her to jump in.
At first she hesitated, but then she dived in, clothes and all. When she came up out of the water, her kids gave her the biggest cheer. You could tell by looking at their faces how much joy she had just given them.
I don’t know that woman’s kids, but I bet they’ll never forget the day their mom jumped into the pool wearing her clothes. It’s a memory they’ll be talking for years.
She could have told them no (like I might have in that situation). She could have kept working on party decorations, cooking, or welcoming guests. But she didn’t. She decided to stop what she was doing, have fun, and make a memory with her family.
And that’s one of the secrets to becoming a better parent.
If you want to be a better parent TO your kids, have more fun WITH your kids. (Click to Tweet)
Too often as parents we get so caught up in checking homework, running errands, and getting stuff done around the house we forget the reason we got into this whole parent thing in the first place.
It wasn’t to enforce a bunch of rules. It wasn’t to become a Child Uber. And Lord knows it wasn’t because we had too much free time on our hands.
At the end of the day, the reason most of us became parents is because we wanted to connect and have fun with our kids. And deep down, that’s what our kids want too.
Fun is the bacon bites in the salad of our relationships. Having fun WITH your kids will make you closer TO your kids. (Click to Tweet)
Fun doesn’t have to be expensive. Fun can be reading a book together. Fun can be playing a board game. Fun can be coloring or building Legos. Fun can be taking a walk, playing catch, or catching up over a coffee or ice cream cone.
There are rules that need to be followed. There’s homework that needs to be worked. There are errands that need to be run. But there’s also fun that needs to be had.
Want to be a better parent to you kids?
Have more fun with your kids.
Question: What’s one thing you can do this week to have more fun with your kids? You can leave a comment by clicking here.
Jeff McClung 