Three minutes that can shape your relationships with your family

Your priority is to create connetions and build strong bondd and relationshsips with your children

Connections are the key when it comes to enhancing the bonding and relationships between you and your family. And the easiest and most effective way to enhance the connections between you and your family is through everyday interactions, such as having a meal together.  Yes it does mean making one-on-one time to communicate and to interact, being emotionally available and connecting with your children when you can everyday.

I know many parents all have good intentions and want to connect and build strong relationships with their family.  However, in reality, most parents are stretched with responsibilities, and time poor, and so the ever increasing commitments are causing them to have less and less time and energy to make the time to truly connect with their children.

How would your day look like?

Morning:

Wake up early before the kids, thinking of fitting in a few minutes of exercise, but time just slipped by. You would like to make a nice breakfast for the kids, but cornflakes or boxed cereal is a whole lot easier and less time consuming. You quickly packed your kids’ lunches and wake your children up, get yourself ready for work etc.  And by the time it is breakfast time, you are already feeling tired from the morning rush, let alone thinking of sitting down for a proper breakfast with the children.

Evening:

The routine is about the same as the morning. You leave work, picking up the kids from school or after school, possibly picking up dinner as well along the way.  Then you bath the children, look into their after school activities, prepare dinner, after which you have the cleaning up.  Eventually checking your children’s school work, looking through the bills, or if you have younger children, it is bedtime stories …

What’s left of you at the end of the day is just enough for a good night kiss to your children and family, and the same routine will start all over again the next day.

One simple trick

However, this is one trick that I find useful and you can apply it whenever or where ever. You see, whenever you are running late for home from work, or not being able to join your family for dinner due to deadlines at work, or traveling overseas for work… the simple trick is a simple 3 minute call to your children. That will make a lot of difference.

How?

• Call your children when you are on your way back from work, whether from your car (hands free of course) or on public transport – without much distraction around you, you can fully focus on the conversation while you have your child’s full attention on the other end of the line.
• If you are traveling overseas, a quick call to your children or your spouse before you board the plane or in between transits is connecting –  just so they know they are on your mind.

Why is this important?

When you have the one on one focus and undivided attention on the line, you tend to listen more in depth to the conversation, paying more attention to what’s being said and being more emotionally attuned to the conversation.

Even if the conversation may only be for 3 minutes, what’s being discussed or said would have been more in-depth and meaningful – and you would have created / shared wonderful meaningful memories through that.

Remember, it is not about the quantity of the conversation or interactions, but the quality of the conversations that creates the connections and builds the relationships.

All your need is three minutes!

Happy connecting with your family.