Just for You – October 2017

Put a Parent / Child Date on the Calendar

We are entering the busy holiday season.  Take a deep breath and tell yourself it is to be savored.

One way to make your child feel special is to take them on a date – just the two of you.  I am an only child, so I grew up going on dates just with my parents!  So for only children, this isn’t quite as special, but if you have more than one child, spending time alone with one parent is really a treat.

This doesn’t have to be an expensive, time consuming date.  It can be going to your corner coffee shop or fast food place for an ice cream cone.

It can be walking around the block.

It can be lying down and looking up into the night sky for 5 minutes before bedtime.

Just make it out of the ordinary and make it a memory between just the two of you.

Noelle and I go to a coffee shop twice a month before school as our special date.  We can do this because elementary school starts one hour later than middle school.  We walk (usually with the puppy) to the coffee shop and bring a Bible and devotional book.  It has done my heart well to hear people come to our table and say, “How nice to see people reading the Bible in the morning.”

During the few minutes you have with your child, prepare a devotional to read together or have a question in mind to ask.  For example, for my sixth grader, I might ask:

Is there anyone bothering you at school right now?

Are your friends getting interested in dating?

What are you excited about in the next few months?

Is there something you want to get better at in the next few months?

How can I pray for you?  (Moms in Prayer is a great resource for this)

When I go out with my son who is in 8th grade, the conversation is still there but the emphasis is on the food.  I want to feed him well so he will go with me gladly!  He’s really interested in WWII and military airplanes, so I plan dates around military museums which we are blessed to have here in San Diego.

Put your children on the calendar for one-on-one dates.  This communicates that even though your schedule is very full, you have time to spend with them.  That time of connection goes a long way so when your child has something important to ask or discuss, he or she is used to talking with you.