Parents only want the best for their kids. Even if it means that they have to work constantly, and even work overtime so that they can give their family not just the basic necessities, but to also have a little bit extra to buy toys, clothes, etc. However, working long hours and spending less time with your kids can actually do more harm than good.
Don't bring your work home
It's often said, but it's true. Once you're at home, the most important thing that you should focus on would be your family. Spending time with your kids and talking to them is better for their long term development compared to just buying them nice things.
A lot of working moms and dads think that as long as they work hard to provide for their family, then it would suffice. However, many of them fail to realize that their family also has emotional needs. Kids need to spend time with their parents, not just to be with them, but also to get to know them so that they can understand each other better.
Communication also improves when parents spend more time with their kids. Just as important is the quality of the time that they spend together. So don't just be with your kids, talk to them, tell them stories about your childhood as well as any interesting experiences that you might have had when you were younger.
Go on a vacation!
Taking time off from work every so often is also very important. Even if you spend a couple of hours a day with your kid, nothing really beats spending some time with your family on a vacation. Now that the summer vacation is coming up, it's a great time to start planning ahead, and saving up those leaves for a nice, long vacation with your kids!
Studies have shown that children, like most adults, do in fact prefer going on a vacation instead of buying things. Going on vacations, even just short ones, create happy memories for your kids, and that's something that they will carry with them until their adulthood.
They might be expensive, but vacations are totally worth it. Plus, you'll have a much needed break from your work, so it will benefit you and your well-being just as much as it will benefit your kids.
It helps your kids relieve stress
These days, school is pretty hard work. Kids have a lot of things to learn, and of course you want your kids to earn high marks so that they can get into a good university by the time they go to college. So as much as you get stressed out at work, kids also get stressed out from being at school.
Research has shown that spending quality time with your kids work wonders when it comes to lowering their stress levels.
It also helps if you can try and not talk so much about their schoolwork when you're spending quality time with them, especially if you're on a trip or a vacation. According to Dr. Lotte Bailyn, a published author and professor emerita at the MIT Sloan School of Management, "Good relationships emerge out of simply having interactions with the people in our families under conditions that are not highly stressed."
It's really that simple. Just spend some time with your kids, and engage them in meaningful conversations and interactions. That really is the key to keeping your family close, and creating a loving family unit that loves and supports each other in times of need.
Sources: washingtonpost.com, projecttimeoff.com
READ: Why spending quality time with your family is the best way to show you love them
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