I and my spouse spend long hours at work. The children spend their evenings studying or are often out with friends. I am at an age where I don't need to spend time with my parents. There are maids at home to satisfy the children's needs. These (and others too numerous to mention), are the excuses some people give for not being able to spend time with their families.
As I stated in one of my earlier articles <<http://yakadams7.blogspot.com/2014/12/the-home-is-beginning-for-teaching-of.html >>, it's time for parents to ask themselves : “do our children receive our best spiritual, intellectual and creative efforts? Or do they just receive our leftover time and talents, after we have given our all to our church calling or professional pursuits? ”
In most families today, both parents are working or only one is. In the former, children are left in the hands of maids to care for them. While in the latter, the parent at home spends more quality time with the children. This is a very unbalanced equation. As a result, the one who spends more time with the child is endeared.
There are cases where children see their parent(s) once in a blue moon, though living in the same house. You are shocked, right? I know. This is what happens. The parent(s) leave home before the children wake up and they return after the children are fast asleep. Believe me, some children unknowingly refer to maids as "mom".
My greatest fear is the evil that some maids commit when parents are not home. Recently, videos of such barbaric acts have gone viral on the Internet. Children have been molested and exposed to all sorts of vices you can think of.
Of course, as a parent, you need to raise money for the upkeep of your family. But while at it, be sure to create a family time. In families where one parent is the sole breadwinner, we think it's okay if the other is at home taking care of the children. To me, this is not right. Your son might want to talk to you, his father, about a masculine matter and you are unavailable. Or your daughter might need to talk to you, her mother, about a feminine matter and you are unavailable. This is because he/she feels that it is a gender problem. Here, the child confides in friends and we can only hope that the results are positive.
For some, the only family time they have is when they watch television after supper. The attention is not on each other, but on the screen in front of them. In those families where there are televisions in every room, they are not even close to watching television together.
Click <<http://yakadams7.blogspot.com/2015/03/the-importance-of-family.html >> to read my article on the importance of family.
Also, most children don't make it easy for their parents. I know some who spend more time outside the home than their parents do! The only times you see them at home is when they are leaving the house early in the morning and returning late at night to sleep. Hehehe it's not that they are working or they are going for lectures o. It's not funny, though. There are children who spend time alone in their rooms or with their friends more than they do with their families.
Grandparents are the ones who suffer the most. Some only see their children and grandchildren once in a blue moon. Most children don't know their grandparents. Do you know your grandparents? If you don't, ask your parents questions. Some children only get to attend the funerals of their grandparents; some don't even know whether the grandparents are dead or alive. May God help us o.
Let us try as much as we can to spend time with our families. Get to know their challenges and successes. Give help and support where needed. Family is blood. Blood is thicker than water, the saying goes. There are some people who care more for outsiders than they do for their own family members. This is very bad. Help your children, neices, nephews and cousins with their homework, eat breakfast or dinner together, create a one-on-one time with them (atleast once a month) and go out as a family for drinks, movies or do something else that is fun.
Family time does not have to be long, but make it quality and memorable. I know you love your families; we all do. Just be sure to find time out of your busy schedule and show some love. Your parents might not get to read this article, it's okay. You can share what you have read with them and suggest ways to spend quality family time together. They will love it.
As I stated in one of my earlier articles <<http://yakadams7.blogspot.com/2014/12/the-home-is-beginning-for-teaching-of.html >>, it's time for parents to ask themselves : “do our children receive our best spiritual, intellectual and creative efforts? Or do they just receive our leftover time and talents, after we have given our all to our church calling or professional pursuits? ”
In most families today, both parents are working or only one is. In the former, children are left in the hands of maids to care for them. While in the latter, the parent at home spends more quality time with the children. This is a very unbalanced equation. As a result, the one who spends more time with the child is endeared.
There are cases where children see their parent(s) once in a blue moon, though living in the same house. You are shocked, right? I know. This is what happens. The parent(s) leave home before the children wake up and they return after the children are fast asleep. Believe me, some children unknowingly refer to maids as "mom".
My greatest fear is the evil that some maids commit when parents are not home. Recently, videos of such barbaric acts have gone viral on the Internet. Children have been molested and exposed to all sorts of vices you can think of.
Of course, as a parent, you need to raise money for the upkeep of your family. But while at it, be sure to create a family time. In families where one parent is the sole breadwinner, we think it's okay if the other is at home taking care of the children. To me, this is not right. Your son might want to talk to you, his father, about a masculine matter and you are unavailable. Or your daughter might need to talk to you, her mother, about a feminine matter and you are unavailable. This is because he/she feels that it is a gender problem. Here, the child confides in friends and we can only hope that the results are positive.
For some, the only family time they have is when they watch television after supper. The attention is not on each other, but on the screen in front of them. In those families where there are televisions in every room, they are not even close to watching television together.
Click <<http://yakadams7.blogspot.com/2015/03/the-importance-of-family.html >> to read my article on the importance of family.
Also, most children don't make it easy for their parents. I know some who spend more time outside the home than their parents do! The only times you see them at home is when they are leaving the house early in the morning and returning late at night to sleep. Hehehe it's not that they are working or they are going for lectures o. It's not funny, though. There are children who spend time alone in their rooms or with their friends more than they do with their families.
Grandparents are the ones who suffer the most. Some only see their children and grandchildren once in a blue moon. Most children don't know their grandparents. Do you know your grandparents? If you don't, ask your parents questions. Some children only get to attend the funerals of their grandparents; some don't even know whether the grandparents are dead or alive. May God help us o.
Let us try as much as we can to spend time with our families. Get to know their challenges and successes. Give help and support where needed. Family is blood. Blood is thicker than water, the saying goes. There are some people who care more for outsiders than they do for their own family members. This is very bad. Help your children, neices, nephews and cousins with their homework, eat breakfast or dinner together, create a one-on-one time with them (atleast once a month) and go out as a family for drinks, movies or do something else that is fun.
Family time does not have to be long, but make it quality and memorable. I know you love your families; we all do. Just be sure to find time out of your busy schedule and show some love. Your parents might not get to read this article, it's okay. You can share what you have read with them and suggest ways to spend quality family time together. They will love it.