It is no secret that parenting is hard. No matter whether your children are young, teenagers or even adults, your children need and deserve a parent who cares. Spending time with your children is important but it isn’t just the amount of time you spend that matters, it is the quality of time. By making an effort to truly be present in your child’s life, your relationship will grow and parenting may seem just a tad easier.

In this short video, several children were asked questions about their parents. These weren’t your basic “What is your mom’s favorite color?” questions. These questions required a little more thought such as “What would make your mom happy?” “Do you worry about your dad?” “If you had three wishes for your dad, what would it be?”

The children’s responses show that children understand a lot more than you may realize about the situations in a household. They sense when you are stressed about finances. They understand when you worry about your family and career. By being present in your child’s life, you are able to establish a relationship where your children feel like they can talk to you about these difficult topics. You can communicate with one another about each other’s stresses.

You can become more present in your child’s life by doing just a few simple things each day. A few examples include:

1 - Eat dinner together as a family
2 - Spend 10 to 15 minutes alone with your child and talk about the day. Bedtime is a great time for this discussion.
3 - Make your child’s extra-curricular activities a priority and arrange your schedule to attend events.
4 - Never let a day go by without hugging or kissing your child.
Are you doing all you can to be a good parent? What do your children think about you? If the answer to these questions isn’t what you want, now is the time to change. Now is the time to re-evaluate your life and see what must be put aside so you can become more present in your child’s life.

For more information on being present in your child’s life, click here