May 10
10 Key Principles To Help You in Your Journey to Be Present at Home
Without question, parenting is perhaps one of the most difficult and challenging responsibilities a person can ever face. We are confronted on all ends with so much uncertainty, worry, stress, anxiety that we don’t know how we’re going to make it in the future. We try to be there for our children while trying to balance a career, home, family, faith and personal growth. At times we feel depleted, exhausted and drained. So how can we manage all of our responsibilities and still manage to be present for our family, especially our children?
These are some of the key principles that have helped me be present at home.
Establish a value system: What you spend most of your time doing is what you value most.
Have one meal at the table daily- conversations at the table are critical and crucial. This is where we dig deeper to find out what our children are struggling with and what they need our help
Quality time- if you have younger children, turn all devices off and find a good book you can read together.
Permission to feel- Give yourself permission to feel. It’s important to show our emotions to our children when we’re going through difficult times, but more importantly how we conduct and handle ourselves in those difficult moments. They remember that.
Be present- be present mentally, emotionally, financially, spiritually, intellectually. Be intentional at spending time together. Make every second special and make it count.
Homework is meaningful- don’t see homework as a drag. See it as an opportunity to help your children solve problems. Don’t run away from math. Create real life experiences where your children learn life lessons
Make your bed. Teach your children the importance of making their bed. The first step to teaching our children about responsibility is for them to make their own bed. Don’t do it for them.
Be vulnerable- it’s okay for your children to see you vulnerable and for them to see you struggle at something. Let them see how you handle failure and shortcomings.
Model it. Our children will do what we do not what we say
Pray- at the end of a long day, after your children are in bed and your house is quiet, kneel next to your child’s bed, pray over them, let them feel your presence, let them hear your voice whispering in their ear how much you love them. Be specific in your prayers when you pray for them.
-E. Rustrian