You’ve only got 15 summers with your kids. After those 15 fleeting summers, they’ll spread their wings and leave the nest, forging their own lives. To build a close bond, you must seize these precious moments under your roof.
Spend time together during those formative years, and later when life pulls you apart, the bond remains strong. You’ll still talk, laugh, and understand one another. However, if you’re too busy working and missing out on their childhood, they won’t form a bond with you. Later you might find time to bond, but kids are gone and busy creating their own lives.
So bonding with your kids during their first 15 years is essential. Share your time with them. You can read them a story. Make up stories for bedtime. Play with them. Trek a valley with them. Take them for a walk. Ask them about their day. Listen to them and help them solve their problems. Watching TV or going to the movies doesn’t count since you’re both passive. In short, do things with them and make memories.
You might tell yourself that you’re working for your family and earning a decent salary. What’s the point of money if it doesn’t build relationships with the people you’re earning it for?
So cherish those 15 summers and make the most of them – forge an unbreakable bond with your kids.