Let’s Stop & Smell the Roses

It goes without saying that our actions as parents can greatly influence our own children’s behavior.  While there is something to be said about your child’s natural disposition due to his or her genetic make-up, there is also quite a lot to be said about the environment in which you raise your child.  Is it a calm and loving environment?  Or is it one filled with stress and tension?

In today’s fast-paced world, we parents tend to bite off more than we can chew and then pass along the heightened stress level to our children.  There always seems to be a mad dash in the mornings to get the children ready for school and then a frenetic rush to pick them up in the afternoon to go to their enriching extracurricular activities such as piano lessons or karate classes.  If this sounds familiar, keep in mind that your children simply want to spend time with you doing something.  A little time spent playing in the park will do.  Or even a picnic that you can plan together by making healthy snacks and packing it all up as a team.  We parents want to give our children so much…and yet we give them so little of ourselves.

We must seize the moment to enjoy our kids now…before they grow up into potentially jaded teenagers.  We must create opportunities for doing small, meaningful things together and having fun!  It does not have to be overly complicated or overwhelming in any way.  Whether it’s making old-fashioned popcorn on the stove (remember Jiffy Pop?) or baking cookies (you can use pre-cut refrigerated dough) or just stopping to smell the roses in a garden, the point is to experience this together.  Trust me – your children will thank you for it and you’ll be a hero for a day!