Do you ever think about the kind of relationship you want to have with your child? How do you want them to see you? When they have families of their own, do you hope that they will want to spend time with you? When you become an “empty nester”, will you have regrets? How do you want to be remembered?
After losing a child, my perspective on many things changed. Things that once seemed important, weren’t so important anymore. What did become important to me, was having time with my kids and making special memories together. I don’t want to look back one day and remember the meals I cooked, the housework I did or the homework I helped with. I want to remember the times I played with my kids. I want them to remember the fun they had with their mom. My guess is, you do too.
Life is so busy! It is easy to tell ourselves that we don’t have time to spend with our kids. Yet, we all make choices everyday as to how we spend our time. Here are some ideas on how to spend your time. Many of these take only a few minutes.
REMEMBER THESE ACTIVITIES ARE FOR BOTH YOU AND YOUR CHILD(REN)
- blow bubbles in your milk
- put on some music and sing and dance (you can even dress up if you like)
- build a snowman, snowdog, or ??? be creative!!
- lay on the grass and watch the clouds
- jump on a trampoline
- go bowling and don’t worry about the gutter balls.
- play street hockey
- throw a frisbee
- tell knock knock jokes
- make mud pies
- build a sand castle
- finger paint together
- play a board game
- bake cookies together
- create a fort out of blankets and cardboard boxes
- have a pillow fight
- play hide and seek
- ride bikes
- have a picnic in the living room
- make homemade pizzas
- make play dough from scratch
- make sundaes with lots of sprinkles
- create a treasure hunt
- roast marshmallows
- have a water gun/balloon fight
- dance in the rain
- play in the puddles
- build stuff with Lego
- take photos – maybe while making funny faces
- have a food fight (this is a great thing to do outside)
- make a movie
- shop at a thrift store
- learn magic tricks together
- do a science experiment (remember baking soda and vinegar)
- create a scrapbook
- play tag
- pitch a tent in the back yard and sleep outside
- create a play and perform for other family members
- create an obstacle course using chairs and cushions
- fly a kite
- make popcorn and watch a movie
- make popsicles (and of course, eat them later)
- have a lemonade stand
- make ice cream
- tell stories
- decorate gingerbread men or make a gingerbread house
- build paper airplanes
- play basketball
- hula hoop
- make cupcakes and decorate them
Now create your own list. Maybe you want to put your ideas on slips of paper and put them in a special jar. When you want to make some special memories, pull an idea out of your jar.