As I type these words, I am finishing up an awesome 24+ hour guy time marathon with my son. As soon as my son learned that my wife and daughters were going out of town overnight, he announced that it was guy time and thus far here is a list of all that we've done:
So yeah, this has been a really good time with my son, time that I won't forget or regret taking.
Did I just say regret making time for my son? I can understand making changes in your schedule to have time for your kids but regret taking that time? Do parents really regret taking time with their kids?
No, they don't. At least they shouldn't.
I've never known a parent to say that the quality time that they have spent with their kids was a big mistake, but I have heard my share of parents express regret over not spending enough quality time with their kids. I've also heard parents say that it's difficult to make time for their kids. That's a pretty crappy excuse if you want to know the truth. We can't make time - time is a constant and we know how much we have and don't have to spend. It's a precious commodity that, once lost, can never be found again. So when it comes to the time that you have, there are only two choices that you can make:
The same is true of the time that you have with your kids. Just as you long for your favorite season to last a few days or weeks longer, you will want to take advantage of every moment that you have with your kids. Yes, there will be days when your schedule is a whole lot busier than you want and your time will be consumed by work, projects, and other responsibilities that have to get done. But you will still have lots of time in the bank to what is most important. Regret only exists if we miss out on the opportunities that matter the most.
- Watched a Jason Bourne move. Actually, one and a half of them.
- Ate chicken wings and banana pudding
- Watched Wake Forest beat Boston College in basketball
- Rented the Goosebumps movie (which was surprisingly good)
- Spent time reading a book before bed
- Slept in
- Had cookies for breakfast
- Checked a book out of the library
- Made a purchase at the local candy store
- Had sushi for lunch
- And now he is in his Eno reading his library book while I type
Did I just say regret making time for my son? I can understand making changes in your schedule to have time for your kids but regret taking that time? Do parents really regret taking time with their kids?
No, they don't. At least they shouldn't.
I've never known a parent to say that the quality time that they have spent with their kids was a big mistake, but I have heard my share of parents express regret over not spending enough quality time with their kids. I've also heard parents say that it's difficult to make time for their kids. That's a pretty crappy excuse if you want to know the truth. We can't make time - time is a constant and we know how much we have and don't have to spend. It's a precious commodity that, once lost, can never be found again. So when it comes to the time that you have, there are only two choices that you can make:
- You can choose to manage your time
- Or your time will manage you
The same is true of the time that you have with your kids. Just as you long for your favorite season to last a few days or weeks longer, you will want to take advantage of every moment that you have with your kids. Yes, there will be days when your schedule is a whole lot busier than you want and your time will be consumed by work, projects, and other responsibilities that have to get done. But you will still have lots of time in the bank to what is most important. Regret only exists if we miss out on the opportunities that matter the most.
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