How much time you spent with your child

[buds]

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101 Things Every Kid Should Do Growing Up.

Of late, we have been hearing and reading about how parents lament not having enough time with the children.. parents both work.. children have never-ending homework.. children have to prepare for exam.. uhh where to bring the brats to.. then there is also the part where some parents don't know what to do to spend time with them..

The rat race is always going to be there. Yes, some of us opt out of it to maintain sanity. Those already in it and those who want it, strive to the end in blood, sweat and tears. Then there's a handful of us who want that balance.

Time with children MUST be time WITH children. Put aside that iPad. Stop farming those FB everythings. Pinch yourself each time you wanna reach for your smartphone when it is not even ringing. YES, siree.. time with children which many claim is already insufficient in our supposedly fast-paced lifestyle, should not be shared with inane dailies. Especially not with gadgets.

While we are seemingly fixated over those checks in our children's academic pursuits, we may have forgotten that one important checklist that reminds us to be the parents for our children. If you have forgotten, do not worry for I found one such checklist! Where? At the library one fine afternoon...

As I am now typing out some of the contents of this book to share with all of you, it brings a smile to my face. An in-your-face book that brings you places called memories. It can also bring you to your PC albums.. containing photographs of what you USED TO do WITH the children. Those pretty snapshots never saw the light of day.. for all they do is rot (or not?) or hide in some form of electronic gadget/tool. Perhaps, these days for some of us, there's a bit much on what we do FOR the children...either as a trade off for doing well in school or because they have been good. Spending time with our children should ideally be because we WANT to be with our family.

If you are keen to try working on a balance being a swell parent, check out the checklist in this book. If you are struggling or if you wish to find out more on some of the fun things children should get to do... This book may have your answer.

But before you do that, go through this checklist putting yourself as the kid. Did you get to do half the things they shared in this book? If yes.. congratulations, for like myself, you too had an awesome childhood. If not, it is never too late to relive your childhood with your children.

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Everyone has dreams. Every adult. Every kid.
Just reading the first 12 on the Checklist-101 bring back a plethora of memories and emotions from my own yesteryears swept over me.

Check out #3... Now... Other than a girl's first love, how many dads bring their daughters to see the stars in the still of the night? Mine did. He even followed up the following day with some constellation information in our very thick and concise Factfinder book, for we cannot afford a whole bookcase of encyclopedias.

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#4 had me a wee overwhelmed, for my Daddie did this too.. not just for my brothers and I but for my children as well. A request for playing \"camping\" will entice him to play up a storm with the kiddies... yes, with torchlight, spooky sounds and stories, glow in the dark skeleton gloves.. sigh.. brings back so much memories..

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I remember growing up thinking how great it would be if we could have a tree house. I read these \"tree house\" concept in books and visualized it as a child. I thought it sufficed that my Daddie was those fun dads who was open to all sorts of play. Yes, even dramatic play. Though impossible to build one indoors, Daddie made camping indoors come to life I can still remember till today.

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I did this with my girls in our hotel room in Phuket! So happy to see this on the checklist. We had wrinkly fun in our upgraded hotel room's bathtub in Phuket called Deevana.

I emptied ALL the complimentary shower foams and shampoo bottles and simply let the bubbles overflow the bathroom. We made bubble creatures on one another's hair while we soak in the fragrance from all those soap bubbles. Aaaahhhh... Man, I need a holiday...

As I scrutinized the checklist, I must've chuckled on and off or at least have had my lips pursed in quiet happiness looking back at the kinda childhood I had as a child. It was a swell childhood. I had a swell childhood.

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I was smiling to myself going on to #36. I recall having done a couple of walk-a-thons myself with Daddie while I growing up and I am happy the girls were able to participate in a few as well.

With our schools and faith organizations organizing such events, I find these are awesome opportunities to share with our children... that there are many different ways we can all play a part in reaching out to the less fortunate and how our nurturing such empathy helps shape sound character for our next generation.

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We sold cookies, with help from gramma of course.. ..cool toys plus lotsa new stuff the kiddies never even used, to raise money for charity. The proceeds went to one of the orphanages in Singapore which they visited as a finale & closure for the charity yard sale. The kiddies learnt more about the children who were placed there and why... what they do there and how they go about their day. The children were given time to reflect and share their thoughts.. My children appreciated the fact that they honestly had so much more in their lifetime than some of these children.

I don't know about anyone else but I have a small treasure box where I keep memories of my younger days. Guess what's my soft toy?

Hubs bought a nice soft yellow ducky for chubs and after reading this, I sure heck would keep it in his own treasure box.

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Growing up, I have always imagined myself having a tree house. I only got to read about them in books. I thought it would be a nice private space for me to find reprieve from the parents or when I just want some me time. With modern technology, I can just google and find a fab collection of images on tree houses, who built them and where these tree houses are. This one I found had a cool slide from the upper floor. Though my dreams can't exactly come through... I mean like seriously, how cool is this?

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Now, whoever said treehouses must be at the top of a tree. It can be at the bottom too like the one here. A tree house concept within the patio area. Ingenious. I would love to have a space like this... Tree houses are like free club houses, where imagination creates creativity.. where children get lost in play. These days well... they have the country club memberships for these kinds of things.

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As I reminisced on my personal memories, I was also brought back to when DD1 was little, hubs bought her this dramatic-play-tent as her birthday present.

Many awesome hours were spent role-playing, giggling, sweating (yes it is hot inside) and it was one of those moments where teachable moments just didn't seem to cease. DD1 learnt soooo much with this prezzie form early math, language (vocab expansion), simple entrepreneurial skills, dramatic play, (etc)! It was soo fun.

We found this themed-tent for DD1's 2nd birthday (we still have it!) and so last December, I took it out from our store and hubs offered to put it up nice and straight so we could all play with our children. This time, all 4 of them. Since we can never have even a yard or a tree house, we thought a tent house would be fun for our children. Our house became abuzz with lotsa language, with counting, with pretend-play and role-play.. it was so much fun to watch. The children were doing postal work, selling fruits and vegetables, the shopkeeper counting the day's collections, handling fussy customers... the works.

We may not be able to have everything in the world that money could buy but I am sure we can give our children our love and the most memorable childhood, one that they can hopefully remember for many years to come if only we remind ourselves that life ain't just about the rat race.

Like I usually say, the gift of love is spelt as T.I.M.E.

Work hard so play hard. The choice is yours to make. Quit whining about how children these days lack a childhood when you don't have time to offer them that gift of love.

Give yourself and your children some balance in life.

Regardless if your children are doing PSLE this year or not. No excuse.

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[BeContented]

buds:

We may not be able to have everything in the world that money could buy but I am sure we can give our children our love and the most memorable childhood, one that they can hopefully remember for many years to come if only we remind ourselves that life ain't just about the rat race.

Like I usually say, the gift of love is spelt as T.I.M.E.

Work hard so play hard. The choice is yours to make. Quit whining about how children these days lack a childhood when you don't have time to offer them that gift of love.

Give yourself and your children some balance in life.

Regardless if your children are doing PSLE this year or not. No excuse.

http://i46.tinypic.com/2aieg01.jpg\">

Lovely post :rahrah:
So true are those words in bold. I am guilty cos I was plain lazy.
Now that DS has gone Sec1, all of a sudden he seems so 'independent' & busy with his own life. I need to do more :love: Thanks for the timely reminder.

[buds]

Thanks, babe. :celebrate:


I have made a deal with DD1 that we shoot some hoops on days when she has no homework even after supplementary lessons. Yes, play basketball. There's a good place to play near my estate. The baby will be in the buggy having his snacks and chubs will be playing his ride-on truck or car or his ball and DD2 will be skooting or riding her bike after which she too will join us shoot some hoops. If hubs is back early from work he too will join us after his evening run.

School life these days are no less than 10 hours from the time the rooster crows. My girls wake up around 5pm. They need to rush for the school bus which arrives at 6am.

I try not to surround their growing years with everything to do with school and study. We arrange outing with gramps, lunch out with my girl friends and their kids, swim during the weekends... stuff like that. May not be able to do what we intend or plan to all the time due to usual reasons like homework, violin exam preps, housework and all that mambo jambo but I make a mental note to get us all out of the rut of the race by having down time.

Life is short. Live life to its fullest.

Jia-you! :rahrah:

[ammonite]

Simply lovely post! :love:

[Just relax]

Time flies when the children are so young, so the sacrifice and effort MUST be made to spend time with them as the rewards cannot be measured.


Somehow from a packed schedule of endless classes, CCAs, competitions, music, the family has found time to do things together on Friday nights and Sunday nights, which is to play badminton. We go out for lunch as a family on Saturday and chill out as a family on Sunday morning at home just doing our own stuff but still being together.

Even with this I find I want more time to do family stuff but there are just too many other competing priorities that get in the way including my work and the children's studies :stompfeet:

[happy to be mum]

Hi buds


By reading your post, it make me feel so guilty cause I have deprived them alot of "101 Things Every Kid Should Do Growing Up". I do spend alot of times with both DS, I am a working mum and we have no help from both side of grandparents, only help is maid. Mondays to Fridays, totally have no life for both sons and myself, especially with DS1 in P3 now, more homeworks and guiding him in the night. It seem that I am "chasing" and "hurrying" my kids everyday from Mon to Thurs, by making sure both have to be on bed by 9pm! I have only 2 hrs or less than 2 hrs with them on weekdays. How I wish I can do more or spend more time with them! To chat with DS about his daily school life and activities have to be specially "plan" so sad!

I am starting to get disheartened with the life that I forsee will be the norm for my family or for most sg families…rush, rush,rush…work, work, work and play has to be well plan for and seriously considering returning to Down Under where both my sons were born.

[AdonciaTang]

BeContented:

buds:

We may not be able to have everything in the world that money could buy but I am sure we can give our children our love and the most memorable childhood, one that they can hopefully remember for many years to come if only we remind ourselves that life ain't just about the rat race.

Like I usually say, the gift of love is spelt as T.I.M.E.

Work hard so play hard. The choice is yours to make. Quit whining about how children these days lack a childhood when you don't have time to offer them that gift of love.

Give yourself and your children some balance in life.

Regardless if your children are doing PSLE this year or not. No excuse.

http://i46.tinypic.com/2aieg01.jpg\">

Lovely post :rahrah:
So true are those words in bold. I am guilty cos I was plain lazy.
Now that DS has gone Sec1, all of a sudden he seems so 'independent' & busy with his own life. I need to do more :love: Thanks for the timely reminder.

Agree! :goodpost:

[em83]

As both my partner and I work daily, with normal office hours, it’s hard to even think about the number of hours not being able to see them or talk to them personally face-to-face, so the hours after work and weekends are all spent almost with them.

[janet88]

Has any of you read the comprehension passage of this child who wants to buy her father’s time? It moved me to tears bcos the father is such a busy person and has no time to face the child. He even scolded her for asking him so many questions…until she wanted to ‘buy’ his attention.


The tragic accident of the 2 brothers made me appreciate my kids even more. They make LOTS of noise after school and after half a day of complete peace, their endless chatter does drive me nuts on days i feel lousy, but if they keep very quiet and sit in one corner, that would be very worrying.
So, if we want kids, we have to be prepared for the joy and headaches they bring…if not, don’t give birth.

[toddles]

thanks for sharing Buds! gotta get my hands on that book. would be nice to have it to check off… also as a what-to-do idea book!