The Importance of One on One time

Tomorrow (weather permitting), my big kids have theater practice for pretty much the whole day. This gives me and Crankles the perfect opportunity for Mommy and Kid Date! I do this with all my kids. I find some time and take them out for lunch or a movie. Sometimes we go shopping or go to the park. The important thing is that we are doing it together and without the others.
Crankles gets a lot of my time as she is little, but she does not get the one on one time with me unless we do things like this. She is little, and she is not much of a people person. She also hates shopping and being in public. Starbucks is our special place. We get a treat, and I sit and talk to her. I do not get out my phone, unless she wants me to take her picture. (If you do not believe me that she likes to have her picture taken, please see yesterday’s post.) She looks forward to it, and I love seeing her face light up when she sees scones! (If they do not have scones, cake pops and cookies are acceptable to her, but not banana bread.)

For Sissy, we go window shopping. Sometimes we do movies together, like when Neverending Story hit the big screen last fall. With Bubby, he and I get to do some cooler things now that he is older. Last fall for one of our dates, we went to one of those haunted forest places. I think this summer, we will probably do paintball. Most of the time, we go to a diner. The important thing is to find something you can do together and have fun with it.
My kids look forward to these times, and I do too. These are the times where the kids open up more about their feelings and what is going on in their lives. Crankles does not do this so much yet, but she is little. It helps you continually bond with your kids and let them know they are special even when sometimes it does not seem like it when a million things are happening at home. As our kids get older, it is our chance to connect or re-connect, to be completely focused on them.
I know life gets busy, and sometimes it is hard to fit everything into it. However, this is one thing that if you can fit just one a month with each kid, you will be glad you did.
What do you like to do with your kids for one on one time? Please feel free to let me know in the comments below.