Enjoy every precious moment

I have had the pleasure of having our adult children visiting this summer. It is amazing how relaxing and stress-free the time can be. We laughed, talked, cooked and ate together. We played on the lake, which has always been one of our favorite family activities. And now they are back in their respective homes in other states, and the quiet has returned.

When they were younger, what I would have done for quiet! The challenges of the “NO!” stage, picky eaters, fighting to get them to shift from video games to homework, curfews, and all of the other childhood challenges. As they became teenagers, we had to let go, even when it was uncomfortable for us, and let them learn from their mistakes. There were times we wondered if we (or they) would make it. They are memories now.

We talk about what they remember about growing up and our family time. They remember family vacations, dinners together, fighting with each other. They remember always being able to have friends over, with lots of things to do. When asked how bad the yelling was, they don’t even seem to remember it.

So as those of you who have your children living at home still, I encourage you to cherish the noise. Take the time to do things with your kids now. Put at least one family dinner on the calendar a week. Looking back, the time together is more meaningful and important than the activities that seemed to pull us in so many different directions.

We are blessed. We have built strong relationships with our children. We all enjoy the time as adults together. It was worth every single bit of “investment” of time and energy!

Want to learn more about building strong relationships with your children? Visit www.positivedisciplinect.org.

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