Most of the parents today are busy with their day-to-day activities and have less time to spend with their kids, which is why they feel guilty about it. Add to it the work-from-home culture where the personal and professional lives are so blended that we really don’t know when to close down the laptop lid.

In times like these, your kids can feel ignored and less adored. This is why, as a parent, it becomes your responsibility to make your child feel loved and valued irrespective of the time you spend with them.

I personally feel the same too, as being, I am a working mother, and even though I want to spend maximum time with my kids, my profession and other responsibilities keep me busy and spare me with very little time in hand.

There have been multiple studies in the past which have shown that spending quality time with a child is more important than quantity time.

Your child may want and rightly demand all your time and attention. However, sometimes, spending countless hours with children neither gives them the needed self-confidence nor does it help in their education.

No matter how old your children are, spending time with them is very essential.

Keeping this in mind, today, I am going to talk about 3 really simple and easy ways to make your child feel loved and valued.

How to Make Your Child Feel and valued ?

spend time with kids citymom

1. Spend at least 20-30 minutes with your child everyday- make your child feel loved and valued

I know you can get super busy during weekdays. However, sparing about 20 to 30 minutes a day should not be extremely challenging. This definitely goes a long way in strengthening the parent-child relationship. For a child, it should be the time of the day they vouch for. Try to set up a specific time that you are comfortable spending. It could be in the evening, late evening, morning, or at night. Choose the time you can be available on most days.

In addition to strengthening the parent and child relationship, spending quality time with your child can also support their cognitive development.

be a child and have fun with kids citymom

2. Be a child between them – make your child feel loved and valued

Let’s face it guys, you can’t be strict every time or ask your children to follow the rulebook. Sometimes it’s best to be like a child with them and have a great time. Trust me, this has double the benefits.

Try this for 3 weeks and you will feel much relieved from your work-related stress. Also, your child will find you more approachable and will not hesitate to share everything fearlessly with you. 

spending quality time with kids citymom

3. Focus on quality over quantity – make your child feel loved and valued

During these 20-30 minutes you could be doing just about anything but keep in mind that the main objective is to lend an ear and have clear and healthy communication with your child.

Quality time will results in a deep bond in their relationship and help the child control their anger, frustration and anxiety.

You can join and connect with your child in their activities like drawing, painting, building blocks, etc. You can also ask your child to help you clean their room, keeping all the things at their respective places.

It is essential that your child enjoys what you are doing together only then it would qualify for quality time. By the way, going for a walk is the best option which works for all age groups.

Special Tips for getting the most out of the strategies

Applaud nice behavior – make your child feel loved and valued

Be nice and thankful to your child when they do something good. It could be as simple as keeping all the toys in the rack or doing the homework without mistakes. All children feel special and valued when they listen to praises from their parents. It also encourages them to continue doing good work.

This will definitely make your child feel good. So the next time they do something good make them feel loved and valued by saying ” I was very happy to see you patient “or something like” good to see you helping others”. 

One to one talks create the highest impact – make your child feel loved and valued

Siblings usually have a habit of jumping into everything. However, when you are in the middle of an important talk, having the little one run his monster truck on the bed while you are talking to the elder child doesn’t sound good. right?

So try to give uninterrupted time to your child to make them feel loved and valued.

 

Mute your all devices – make your child feel loved and valued

Parents should mute all their digital devices while making interactions with kids as it will be very pleasant for children to note that they are our top priority. So make it a point not to check messages or get on those short calls or even check your emails while you are spending time with your child.

You have to be with your children not only physically but also mentally and emotionally to make your child feel loved and valued.

A few words from Citymom

When both the parents are working, sometimes the kids may feel neglected and unvalued. Thus it becomes our responsibility to spare some time a day for them and use it wisely to play with them, enjoy with them and praise them for their good behavior.

These may appear small but these little gestures go a long way to make your child feel loved and valued.

For parents, it is advised to make a timetable and stuff these small meetings somewhere in between their day plans.

 

References

raisingchildren.net.au | nap.edu & many others