I spend 15 minutes in devoted one-on-one time with each of my kids each day. We call it Momma-Gracie or Momma-Allie time. It's special.
I don't allow interruptions of our special time together. No phone calls, no emails, no tv. Not even Joe can butt in. It's time set apart to nurture my children's hearts, to make them feel loved and important, to empower and enrich them.
The first time I heard about devoted one-on-one time was from Amy McCready, creator of Positive Parenting Solutions and author of If I Have to Tell You One More Time...: The Revolutionary Program That Gets Your Kids To Listen Without Nagging, Reminding, or Yelling. Amy calls it Mind, Body, and Soul time, and it's the foundation of her parenting strategy. Spend 10-15 minutes each day with each kid, and make those minutes count. Do whatever the child wants to do and be absolutely and totally focused and attentive to the child and the task.
Do this every day, Amy says, and power struggles will decrease, behavior will straighten out, and misbehavior will be easier to redirect.
And she's right. I have absolutely found all three of those things to be true since I started Momma-kiddo time.
I shared a post today on TommyNelson.com called 7 Ways to Encourage Your Kids to Share in which I wrote this paragraph connecting sharing with one-on-one time:
Kids who feel confident, secure, and loved share much more readily than kids who are missing one of those pieces. Work on making sure your kids feel confident, secure, and loved in general, and those feelings will spill over into their interactions with each other. One big way to do this is by spending 10-15 minutes of one-on-one time every day with every kid. It might sound like a lot, but having time when they don't have to share your attention with anyone (including your phone, spouse, or the tv) will make all the difference in the world.
I know it to be true. When I spend my time with each of my kids individually, they play together much more freely. They share their toys with each other, each one knowing that she is special and cherished no matter what.
Head over to TommyNelson.com to read the rest of my post.
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