Spend 10 minutes a day with your kid

Previously I have written about how I no longer subscribe to parenting magazines. I find none of the advice helpful; most of it is written toward the coercive, “let’s get kids to always do what WE want!” mindset that my family strives to not follow. It also often treats parenting as some kind of skill that needs to be expert-fed and directed rather than a natural part of life. So it’s definitely not for me.

Recently I received another copy of a parenting magazine that I subscribed to years ago. I have no idea why I keep getting these trashcan liners, unless I paid for a lifetime membership (and I make it a point not to pay more than $12 for a subscription unless I really love it, like Nat Geo Kids) or something. One of the key articles in it described how we need to connect with our kids for 10 minutes a day beyond homework, chores and the like.

Are you freaking kidding me? If you are only spending 10 minutes with your children every day outside of homework and school stuff in general, there is something wrong. Parenting is not about squeezing your kids in 10 minutes a day. Parenting is a 24-7 job, and a huge part of that job is making connections with our kids every day, leading by example and being a family, for crying out loud. If you didn’t want to spend a huge chunk of your day with children, why be a parent in the first place?

I’m not addressing this to the working single parents who strive to find time with their families every day. My heart truly goes out to you. I’m addressing this to the parents who have plenty of time with their friends, who go to concerts, who let their kids spend extra time at school or daycare not because of work, but because they need more “me time,”—and to the parents who think that doing homework together is quality time.

Think about spending more time with your kids. You’ll regret it if you don’t—and so will they.

Photo courtesy of Wikipedia