Volume 05, Issue 06: Where Can We Get Time?

Having said that time is the one thing needful as parents in the last issue, where do we get time from?

We borrow time from ourselves.

Sometimes opportunities come to take away our time with our children. We have to make tough decisions to have time for our children.

If you need to offload things, most of the time they are of good value, do it to make time for your children. Prioritize parenthood. There are times when we have to say, “If I can’t come with my children, I can’t come.”

You can put career advancement on hold but you cannot put raising your children on hold. You can always go back to advance your studies, to pursue your career, but you cannot go back to raise your children. If you don’t raise them now, they will grow in stature but they will not grow in wisdom and life skills.

On the day of reckoning, it is time spent with your children that will make the difference in their lives.

Most of us delegate or neglect the core aspects of loving our families because we are busy with other things. Neglect teaches children that they are not worth your time. Children feel successful when they around their parents. As they get older, they feel successful when are with their friends.

Give your children time in their early years, so that when they are older and no longer want to be around you much, they are ready to be with their peers. They are well developed in their emotions, self worth, confidence and value system to make good choices.

Where can we get time? Borrow from ourselves. We can offload certain things. See which of these possibilities may work for you to increase time with your children;

• Let your schedule revolve around their schedule
• Borrow time from yourself – wake up early so that by the time they are up, you are available, not busy with chores
• Move your home near your office or vice versa, so that you have more time with them before and after work
• Ditch the school bus and drop them to school yourself
• Show up for their functions, be there for all their significant days
• Pay the penalty to miss the chama
• Go with them to your meetings, functions and errands whenever possible
• Take deliberate leave days to increase your hours with your children
• Leave work on time
• Don’t carry work home
• Cut off TV on weekdays
• Settle for a less demanding job when your children need you most

Lillian Chebosi